The stage is all set for the Presidential poll on Thursday with UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee expected to romp home with a substantial margin against BJP-backed P A Sangma. The Congress-led UPA has established a clear edge over the opposition not only in terms of electoral arithmetic, but also by some apt political management.
As many as 4,896 lawmakers — 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs — are eligible to vote in Parliament and state assemblies. The total vote value is 10.98 lakh and a winning candidate needs to get 5,49,442 vote value if all of them exercise franchise.
The outcome of the presidential vote will be announced on Sunday, but Pranab Mukherjee, 76, has far more support than his rival, former parliamentary speaker PA Sangma, a state legislator for a tribal constituency in the remote northeast.
“There is no permanent equation in India’s coalition politics and if Mukherjee becomes the president then his art of negotiation will be put to the test,” TK Tripathi, a leading political analyst and author, said.
“He can be the kingmaker in this age of complex coalition politics.”
The new president will succeed Pratibha Patil, India’s first female president, who took a low-profile and strictly detached approach to her five years in the job.
Mukherjee was until last month the finance minister at the heart of a government that has been beset by policy paralysis, rebellious coalition partners and corruption scandals since winning re-election in 2009.
He has also endured heavy flak for the recent sharp fall in economic growth and a growing sense of domestic and international pessimism about India’s future after years of rapid development.
Amid such uncertainty, Congress faces a major challenge in keeping enough coalition allies on board to push through much-needed reforms, and the party is already braced for a tough battle in the 2014 polls.
The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is supporting 64-year-old Sangma for president, is also unlikely to secure a clear win in national elections, meaning regional parties could hold the balance of power.
Congress scored one victory on Wednesday when the Trinamool Congress party, which has been the ruling coalition’s most troublesome partner, reluctantly agreed to back Mukherjee.
“It is in this turbulent scenario, Mukherjee as a president will be able to steer the ship of the state. He is a trouble-shooter.”
Indian presidents are chosen by an electoral college comprising MPs from the federal parliament’s two houses and from the state legislatures.
(With inputs from HT, PTI, AFP)
