With 65% electoral votes, NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind elected new President of India
Ram Nath Kovind got 65.65% of the total valid vote value while Meira Kumar got 34.35%
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind was on Thursday elected as the new President of India, securing a massive margin over his United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rival Meira Kumar in a two-way contest.
In an electoral college of 4,986 voters with a vote value of 10,98,903, Kovind got 2,930 votes carrying a value of 7,00,244, while the former Lok Sabha Speaker secured 1,844 votes with a value of 3,67,314.
While Kovind got 65.65 percent of the total valid vote value of 10,69,358, Meira Kumar got 34.35 percent.
Announcing the election of Kovind as the 14th President, Returning Officer and Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra said Kovind had got the required votes under the quota allotted to him in the transferable vote system under the Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections Act.
“I declare Ram Nath Kovind as duly elected to the Office of President,” he said.
The 71-year old will be the second Dalit to hold the top constitutional position and the first BJP member to be elected president.
The Electoral College, responsible for electing the President, comprises of Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies of all states. However, MLCs of states with Legislative Council are not part of the electoral college.
While the value of an MLA’s vote depends on the population of his or her state, the value of an MP’s vote remains the same at 708.
The 2017 presidential election was marked by cross-voting in various states where many opposition members favoured Kovind.
The Vice-Presidential election will be held on August 5.
While BJP has nominated a former party president, Venkaiah Naidu, the opposition has fielded former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.
