Next President of India: Murmu, Swaraj or Gehlot, the BJP's list of candidates

Presidential polls would be held on July 17 and counting for the same would be conducted on June 20.

Will it be Draupadi Murmu, Sushma Swaraj, Thawar Chand Gehlot or Venkaiah Naidu as the next President of India? On Wednesday, the Election said the the Presidential polls would be held on July 17 and counting for the same would be conducted on June 20.

The BJP which is confident of electing a candidate of its choice would however look for a leader who is acceptable to all. BJP's national president Amit Shah had said that his party will discuss with others. He however did not specify if there would be a consensus candidate.

However the BJP would like to win this election of putting in place a consensus candidate. A win in this poll would be a signal of strength ahead of the polls in both Gujarat and Karnataka.

For now the BJP has narrowed down the list to four. However there could always be a surprise as has been seen in the past by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sources tell OneIndia that currently the four names are consideration are Draupadi Murmu, Sushma Swaraj, Thawar Chand Gehlot or Venkaiah Naidu.

Draupadi Murmu

She is currently the Governor of Jharkhand. Her career in politics spans over 2 decades. She will be the first tribal to be the President of India if selected by the BJP. She is the daughter of late Biranchi Narayan Tudu. Hailing from Odisha, she was also a former minister in the government there.

Thawar Chand Gehlot

Thawar Chand Gehlot born on 18 May 1948 is the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment in the Union Government led by Narendra Modi. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha representing the state of Madhya Pradesh. He formerly represented Shajapur in the lower house of Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha from 1996 to 2009.

Sushma Swaraj

The kind samaritan who always solves problems of those who reach out to her on Twitter is the External Affairs Minister of India. If the BJP is looking for a consensus candidate, then she would be the ideal choice. Moreover there are rumours that she may not continue as the External Affairs Minister due to health conditions.

Venkaiah Naidu

There is no real clarity about Venkaiah Naidu. Several sources that we spoke with clearly indicate that he is being considered for the post of next Vice President of India. The BJP would want him to head the Rajya Sabha and hence the post of VP sounds more suitable for him. However he could well become the surprise pick for the post of next President of India.

Schedule for next President of India:

• Date of notification: June 14 2017
• Last date for nominations: June 28
• Scrutiny of nominations: June 29
• Last date for withdrawal of nominations: July 1
• Election date: July 17 between 10 am and 5 pm
• Counting of votes: July 20

OneIndia News