Election Commission notification on President poll likely by mid-June

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission is likely to issue its notification for the Presidential election by mid-June, setting in motion the process of election to the country's top post.

President Pratibha Patil's term ends on July 24 and the EC notification in this regard will be issued sometime in mid-June.

"The notification for the last Presidential election was issued on June 13. The EC will be issuing a notification around that date this time too," a senior official of the Election Commission told PTI.

There is a checklist of 41 tasks for the Presidential election and work has already begun on them, he said.

Speculation is rife about the next incumbent for the President's post and a number of names are already doing the rounds.

The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP have so far remained silent on the candidature issue, while NCP leader and former Speaker P A Sangma has jumped into the race.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is considered as being among the frontrunners along with Vice President Hamid Ansari from the ruling Congress.

Sangma's candidature has been backed by two chief ministers - J Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu) and Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), while his own party, an ally of UPA, has not extended its support to him.

Other regional parties like the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have also not extended their clear support to any candidate so far, even though some of them have been involved in discussions with other parties in a bid to evolve some consensus candidate.

There is an electoral college of around 11 lakh votes, with UPA set to get a majority support with the help of its allies and certain non-UPA parties.