Next President of India: The list of probables and how the numbers are stacked up

New Delhi, Jun 16: All eyes are on who would be the next President of India. On Wednesday, the BJP began consultations on evolving a consensus name for the Presidential election with senior party leader Rajnath Singh speaking to a number of key opposition leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BSP supremo Mayawati, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, sources said on Wednesday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has authorised Singh and party's chief J P Nadda to consult with other parties for building consensus on a presidential candidate.

Singh made the calls to Kharge, Banerjee and Yadav besides some other leaders on a day when leaders of 17 opposition parties met here to build a consensus on a joint opposition candidate.

Singh has also called Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to deliberate upon the presidential polls, the sources said.

The opposition leaders asked Singh about BJP-led NDA's nominee for the presidential election, they said, according to news agency PTI.

During the meeting convened by Banerjee, at least two more names emerged-National Conference (NC) supremo Farooq Abdullah and former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi-after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar declined to be a candidate for the post of President.

The election for the President will be held on July 18, while the nomination process began from Wednesday. Incumbent Ram Nath Kovind's term ends on July 24.

The numbers:

The Electoral College has 4,809 electors including Members of Parliament and 4,033 Members of the Legislative Assembly

While the total value of the votes will be 10,86,431 to win a candidate would need 5,43,216 votes

In 2017 Ram Nath Kovind of the NDA defeated Opposition candidate Meira Kumar

Kovind polled 7,02,000 votes when compared to Kumar's 3,67,000

This time the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has 48 per cent of the votes

The Congress led UPA has 23 per cent of the votes

While the BJP led NDA can win easily, the contest becomes tight if all non-BJP parties unite. If this happens, then the Opposition will have 51 per cent of the votes

However reports say that independents such as the BJD in Odisha and YSRCP in Andhra Pradesh may support the BJP. The BJP may also have the backing of the AIDMK in Tamil Nadu

Probable candidates:

Going by reports, the BJP is unlikely to re-nominate Kovind for a second term. The only President to have had a second term is Rajendra Prasad

Both camps are yet to name a candidate for the presidential elections

The Opposition has approached former West Bengal Governor and Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi. The suggestion was made by the Left

While Sharad Pawar has refused an offer to be the candidate, he is likely to push for Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad as the Opposition's nominee

Earlier it was stated that the AAP, TMC and Shiv Sena wanted Sharad Pawar to be the nominee

JD(U) leader Sharavan Kumar said this party chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would be a good candidate. Kumar has however said he never wanted to and will never contest a Presidential election

The BJP has not revealed who its candidate would be. The names being put below are speculative in nature as the BJP is known for springing surprises. Two examples are Dr. Abdul Kalam and Ram Nath Kovind

Some of the NDA's probable candidates are Jharkhand Governor and tribal leader from Odisha Draupadi Murmu, Kerala Governor Mohammad Arif Khan, Telangana Governor Tamilsai Soundararajan, Chhattisgarh Governor and tribal leader Anusuiya Uikey, former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Odisha's tribal leader Jual Oram and Karnataka Governor and Dalit leader Thawar Chand Gehlot.