Recent state wins give BJP the edge in Presidential poll

The BJP has initiated moves to reach out to the Opposition parties on selecting a consensus candidate for the upcoming presidential poll. 

But the party’s victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have ensured that its share in the electoral college, which would elect the next president, goes up significantly. 

The term of President Pranab Mukherjee is coming to an end on July 24 and the nomination process for the July 17 poll began on Wednesday. 

The electoral college which elects the president through the system of proportional representation comprises elected MPs and members of state legislative assemblies – a total of 4,896 voters including 4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs. 

While 233 are elected members of the Rajya Sabha, 543 are from the Lok Sabha.

While the Lok Sabha Speaker, an elected member, can vote, two nominated members from the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha and 12 nominated MPs in the Rajya Sabha cannot. The value of an MLA’s vote depends on the size of the state he or she represents. But the value of the vote of an MP is the same and does not vary. 

The total value of the electoral college is 10,98,882. 

Before the assembly polls, the NDA was short of 75,076 votes in terms of value. But after BJP's astounding performance in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur, the gap will narrow down to 20,000 votes, an official in the Election Commission explained.

If it is able to get the support of parties like AIADMK with 134 MLAs and BJD with 117 MLAs, it can see the person of its choice in the Rashtrapati Bhawan easily. In the 243-member Rajya Sabha, the BJP currently has 56 members.