Yashwant Sinha vs Draupadi Murmu: Voting ends for 16th Presidential election; counting on July 21

Voting for the presidential election in which NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint opposition pick Yashwant Sinha ended at 5pm on Monday, July 18.

Polling began at 10 am and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his vote. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reached late in the afternoon to vote for the next President.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Shiv Charan Goel and Bhavna Gaur, and BJP's Mohan Singh Bisht were early voters.


A polling booth was been set up inside the Parliament premises where Members of Parliament cast their votes. Besides Room number 63 on the first floor of Parliament House, which was converted into a polling station, voting took place simultaneously at various state assemblies.

Opposition candidate
"This election is very important, will set path for country's democracy, whether it will stay or end. I appeal to all voters to listen to their hearts. This is a secret ballot, I hope they'll use their discretion & elect me to save democracy," said Yashwant Sinha as the voting process got underway.

I am not just fighting a political fight but a fight against govt agencies too. They have become too powerful. They are breaking up parties, forcing people to vote for them. There is also a game of money involved, added Sinha.

The fight for the highest constitutional post
"In today's Presidential election, Shiv Sena is supporting Draupadi Murmu. We believe that Presidential polls are different from any political election. It's the highest post & vote should be cast for a suitable candidate. So, we took this decision," said Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray.

A fight to save democracy?
Opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Monday urged all the MPs and MLAs to vote for him to save the democracy adding that he is not just fighting a political fight but a fight against government agencies too.

The Rajya Sabha's Secretary General is the Returning Officer for this election.

The President is elected by members of the Electoral College consisting of elected Members of Parliament and that of all the state Assemblies, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Nominated Members of Parliament, state Assemblies, and Members of Legislative Council are not eligible to vote.

A total of 776 Members of Parliament and 4,033 MLAs will vote in the Presidential elections.The total value of votes is 10,86,431, of which votes of MLAs are 5,43,231 and MPs are 5,43,200.The Presidential elections in 2017 were held on July 17 and the result was announced on July 20.

(With agency inputs)