Meira Kumar, the Opposition nominee for the Presidential poll 2017, files nomination papers on Wednesday in the presence of several opposition leaders including Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Besides, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Nationalist Congress Party’s Sharad Pawar also accompanied Kumar.
The Presidential Election is slated to be held on July 17. Kumar had appealed to members of the Electoral College to “heed the inner voice of conscience” while casting votes, on Sunday. She said the President’s office “cannot function to serve narrow political interests”.
On June 23, NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind filed his nomination papers in the presence of PM Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and party veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states were also present on the occasion.
To this point, 64 nomination papers have been filed for the Presidential poll 2017. Interestingly, as one candidate can file a maximum of four nominations, the actual number of candidates is 57.
Notably, a Patel couple from Mumbai, Saira Bano Mohammed Patel and Mohammed Patel Abdul Hamid, have filed the nomination among others. They want to share the post of the president and the vice-president among themselves.
The counting of votes is scheduled for July 20.
