Why Raisina Hill so important for Indian politicians?

Bangalore, Jun 14: It seems that the race to Raisina Hill is getting complicated day by day. Race to Raisina Hill and the politics played around the race have become the talk of the town. But why is Raisina Hill so important for all Indian politicians?

India's most important government buildings including Rashtrapati Bhavan are situated at Raisina Hill, an area of Lutyens' Delhi, New Delhi. Raisina Hill is surrounded by other important buildings and structures such as - India Gate, Parliament of India, Vijay Chowk and Rajpath.

The term 'Raisina Hill' was coined following acquisition of land from 300 families from Raisina and Malcha villages. About 4,000 acres of land was acquired under the "1894 Land Acquisition Act" to begin the construction of the Viceroy's House, which later converted into President's House or Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Prime Minister's office and other important government ministries' offices are also situated at Raisina Hill which has the main power and govern the real politics of the country.

The presidential election is going to be held on Jul 19 while counting of votes and results will be announced on Jul 22. All political parties are currently busy in deciding the candidates' names for the upcoming poll.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee along with Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav stormed Indian politics with their joint press conference on Wednesday, Jun 13.

The two politicos refused to support Congress President Sonia Gandhi's choices - Pranab Mukherjee and Hamid Ansari. However, they have raised the slogan for three other names - Manmohan Singh, Abdul Kalam and Somnath Chatterjee.

The NDA also seem to be favouring Kalam after he was proposed by them both in 2002 and 2007. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj hinted at Kalam for the top post and mentioned that he was apt for the high profile job.

The last day for making nominations is Jun 30 and the date of scrutiny of nominations will be Jul 2. The last day for withdrawal of candidature is Jul 4.

President Pratibha Patil's term will come to an end on Jul 24, 2012.

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