The countdown for the Presidential polls has started with the Election Commission announcing the date of election here on Tuesday. Hectic political parleys have resumed as the last date for filing nominations is June 30.
The election will be held on July 19 and the results will be announced on July 22. The notification for the polls will be issued on June 16.
The Rajya Sabha Secretary-General, Mr V.K. Agnihotri, will be the returning officer for the polls, Mr V.S. Sampath, the chief election commissioner, said here. The nominations will be scrutinised on July 2 and July 4 is the last date for withdrawing it.
Congress circles have been indicating that the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee could be considered by the party for the post to evolve maximum consensus. However, there are chances of a dark horse candidate emerging as Mr Mukherjee is considered the chief negotiator for the UPA apparatus.
The former Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr P A Sangma is also meeting political leaders for nominating a person from a “tribal background” for the President's post.
The Biju Janata Dal and the AIADMK have supported Mr Sangma himself for the post. The SP and the Left parties had asked the Congress to announce their candidate first for discussions for a possible consensus candidate.
All 776 Members of Parliament and 4,120 Members of various Legislative Assemblies constitute the electoral college for the Presidential poll. The total value of votes is 1,098,882.
“The Election Commission is mandated to ensure that the election to the office of the President of India, which is the highest elective office in the nation, must be a free and fair election and the Commission is taking all necessary steps for discharging its constitutional responsibility,” the Commission said in a statement.