New Delhi: The counting for the Presidential Election held on July 17 began on Thursday to decide the fate of two contenders – NDA’s candidate Ram Nath Kovind who has a clear edge over the combined Opposition nominee Meira Kumar.
Meira Kumar – Here are some quick facts about Opposition presidential pick
-Kumar was born in 1945 in Patna, Bihar.
-She holds an MA and LLB degrees along with an advanced diploma in Spanish.
-Meira, like Kovind, belongs to the scheduled caste.
-She is the daughter of former deputy prime minister late Jagjivan Ram, a Dalit leader.
-In 1973, Kumar joined the Indian Foreign Service.
-She has also worked at High Commission of India in London and with the Ministry of External Affairs during 19980-1985.
-In 1985, she was elected to the Lok Sabha.
-Kumar was the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha and a five time Lok Sabha Member of Parliament.
-She served as the Speaker from 2009 to 2014.
-Kumar, a member of Congress, has also served as a Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004-2009.
-Besides politics, Kumar actively works for social reforms and human rights.
-She is married to Manjul Kumar, a lawyer, and has four children
About Ram Nath Kovind
Ram Nath Kovind, was born on October 1, 1945 at Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh.
Career as an Advocate – His Excellency, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, was Central Government Advocate in Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979 and Central Government Standing Counsel in Supreme Court from 1980 to 1993. He became Advocate-on-Record of the Supreme Court of India in 1978. Had practiced in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court for about 16 years till 1993. He was enrolled as an Advocate in 1971 with the Bar Council of Delhi.
Career as a Parliamentarian – His Excellency Shri Ram Nath Kovind was elected and became as Rajya Sabha MP in April 1994 from Uttar Pradesh and served for two consecutive terms for 12 years till March, 2006. Shri Kovind served as Member on following important Parliamentary Committees:-
-Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes/Tribes.
-Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs.
-Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas.
-Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment.
-Parliamentary Committee on Law and Justice.
-Chairman of Rajya Sabha House Committee.
Ram Nath Kovind is married to Smt Savita Kovind. He has a son Prashant Kumar who is married and a daughter.
The counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 11 and the results are expected to be declared at around 5 pm.
First, the ballot box of Parliament House would be opened, and then, the ballot boxes received from states would be counted on an alphabetical basis.
The seals of ballot boxes will be opened on Thursday in the presence of representatives of the two candidates — former Bihar Governor Kovind and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar — and the observers of the Election Commission.
Close to 99 percent voting was recorded on July 17 for electing India’s next president.
Thirty two polling stations including the one in Parliament house, were set up in various states.
A total of 4,896 voters — 4,120 MLAs and 776 elected MPs — are eligible to cast their ballot. MLCs of states with legislative council are not part of the electoral college.
While the value of an MLA’s vote depends on the population of the state he or she belongs to, the value of an MP’s vote remains the same at 708.
In the electoral arithmetic, Kovind has a distinct advantage over his rival as parties like the Janata Dal-United and the Biju Janata Dal, otherewise not allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party, had decided to vote for him.
Bureau Report
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