Congress reaches out to other parties to build consensus on presidential polls

Several names have been making rounds for upcoming presidential polls in July.

The Congress party has begun reaching out to other parties to build consensus on the upcoming presidential polls candidate.

Reports say that Congress president Sonia Gandhi spoke to Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Wednesday while Rahul Gandhi spoke to Akhilesh Yadav over the matter.

Rahul and Sonia are also likely to meet BSP supremo Mayawati and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss the matter.

Several names have been making rounds for upcoming presidential polls in July. It was also being speculated that President Pranab Mukherjee was willing for a second term on the condition that PM Modi backs his candidature.

The BJP has so far not suggested anything on its choice for the topmost post, but its ally Shiv Sena has been making different kinds of statements.

Sena last month said that it would support RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's candidature for the presidential polls. Bhagwat, however, said that he was interested to become the next president.

Veteran BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi's names were making rounds but the recent Supreme Court verdict to try them for conspiracy charges in connection with the Babri Masjid demolition case has diminished their chances.

The BJP and its allies have a vote value of 5.32 lakh in the electoral college. This is short by 17,500 of the half way mark. If the BJP gets the support of the BJD and the AIADMK, then the vote value would go up to 6,28,195. The vote value of 5,49,442 is enough to elect the President in the electoral college. The electoral college comprises 4,896 legislators. This includes the 776 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and 4,120 MLAs. The nominated members and the MLCs are not eligible to vote.

The vote value of each LS and RS member is 708. The vote value of the MLA depends on the population of the state. The vote value of an MLA is equivalent to the population of the state divided by the number of elected legislators divided, yet again, by 1,000. In UP the vote value of an MLA is the highest. It is at 209. The lowest vote value is from Sikkim at 7.

Currently the BJP and its allies have a vote value of 5,31,954. The BJP would need17,488 and it would depend on the BJD and AIADMK for the same. The vote value of 134 AIADMK MLAs is 23,584. The vote value of 50 AIADMK MPs is 35,400. The BJD MLAs have a vote value of 17,433 while its 28 MLAs have a vote value of 19,824.

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