2017 Indian presidential election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2017 Indian presidential election
| country = India
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2012 Indian presidential election
| previous_year = 2012
| next_election = 2022 Indian presidential election
| next_year = 2022
| election_date = 17 July 2017
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image=Ram Nath Kovind official portrait.jpg|bSize=100|cWidth=100|cHeight=120|oLeft=0|oTop=0}}
| nominee1 = Ram Nath Kovind
| alliance1 = National Democratic Alliance (India)
| party1 = Bharatiya Janata Party
| home_state1 = Uttar Pradesh
| states_carried1 = 21
| electoral_vote1 = 702,044
| percentage1 = 65.65%
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image=Meira Kumar in 2013.jpg|bSize=100|cWidth=100|cHeight=120|oLeft=0|oTop=0}}
| nominee2 = Meira Kumar
| party2 = Indian National Congress
| alliance2 = UPA
| home_state2 = Bihar
| electoral_vote2 = 367,314
| percentage2 = 34.35%
| title = President
| before_election = Pranab Mukherjee
| before_party = Indian National Congress
| after_election = Ram Nath Kovind
| after_party = Bharatiya Janata Party
| map_image = Indian presidential election, 2017.svg
| map_size = 300px
| posttitle = President after election
| 1blank = Swing
| 1data1 = 34.95% {{increase}}
| 1data2 = 34.95% {{decrease}}
}}
The 2017 presidential election was held in India on 17 July 2017 with the votes counted and the results announced on 20 July 2017. President Pranab Mukherjee, whose term of office was due to expire on 24 July 2017,{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/election-commission-issues-notification-for-presidents-election/article19045327.ece?src=wiki|title=Election Commission issues notification for President's election|date=14 June 2017|work=The Hindu|access-date=23 July 2017}} declined to seek re-election due to health concerns and old age.
Governor of Bihar Ram Nath Kovind of the Bharatiya Janata Party had the backing of the governing National Democratic Alliance coalition, and went up against opposition candidate Meira Kumar of the Indian National Congress in the vote. Kovind secured roughly two-thirds of the votes from the electoral college of elected members of federal, state and union territory legislatures and was elected to a five-year term as President.{{cite news|title=Ram Nath Kovind is the 14th President of India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nda-candidate-ram-nath-kovind-is-the-14th-president-of-india/article19316904.ece?homepage=true|accessdate=21 July 2017|work=The Hindu|date=21 July 2017|language=en|first=Nistula|last=Hebbar}} Kovind's term of office began on 25 July 2017.
Background
There was initial speculation that the incumbent, Pranab Mukherjee, would seek re-election. However, he decided not to run again in 2017, meaning that his term in office ended on 24 July 2017.{{cite news|title=Not in race for another term: President Mukherjee|url=http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/not-race-another-term-president-mukherjee-62605|accessdate=20 July 2017|work=The News Minute|date=25 May 2017}}
= Selection process =
{{further|President of India#Selection process|Electoral College (India)}}
The President of India is indirectly elected by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament, the elected members of the Legislative assemblies of the 28 states and the elected members of the legislative assemblies of the Union Territories of Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.{{cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/pr.html |title=Election of The President |accessdate=28 April 2016 |publisher=Press Information Bureau}} As of 2017, the electoral college comprises 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs.
The system assigns varying numbers of votes to these electoral college members, such that the total weight of MPs and those of MLAs is roughly equal and that the voting power of states and territories are proportional to their population. Overall the members of the electoral college were eligible to cast 1,098,903 votes, yielding a threshold for a majority of 549,452 votes.
The nomination of a candidate for election to the office of the President must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and 50 electors as seconders. The election is held by means of a secret ballot under the single transferable vote system. The manner of election of President is provided by Article 55 of the Constitution.{{cite book|title=Pratiyogita Darpan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bQLff_T-uFAC&pg=PT167 |access-date=28 April 2016 |publisher=Upkar Prakashan|pages=167|isbn=9788174828156 }}{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/President_VP_Elec2012/Presidential_Elections-FAQ.pdf|title=Election to the Office of President of India: Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Election Commission of India|website=eci.nic.in|accessdate=23 July 2017}}
The returning officer for the election was Anoop Mishra, the Secretary General of Lok Sabha.{{Cite news|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=165610|title=Public Notice issued by Returning Officer for Election to the Office of President of India |date=14 June 2017|accessdate=23 July 2017|first=Anoop|last=Mishra}}
=Electoral college partisan composition=
At the time of the election the NDA coalition itself was short of a majority by about 25,000 votes, but was expected to be able to rely on other parties to breach the small deficit without difficulty.{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/how-bjps-up-win-will-impact-presidential-election-numbers-explained-1669025 |title=How BJP's UP Win Will Impact Presidential Election. Numbers Explained |date=13 March 2017 |work=NDTV|first=Sandeep|last=Phukan|accessdate=23 July 2017}}
=Public opinion=
Although the election was not a popular vote, some general polling was performed to measure public opinion. In both Business Insider-Ipsos and NDTV polls comparing support of the two candidates, Kovind was the more popular choice with 71%{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.in/71-Indians-want-Ram-Nath-Kovind-to-be-the-next-president-according-to-this-Ipsos-Poll/articleshow/59650046.cms|title=71% Indians want Ram Nath Kovind to be the next president, according to this Ipsos Poll|date=18 July 2017|work=Business Insider|author=Tanya Dubey|accessdate=18 July 2017}} and 63%{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/presidential-election-2017-live-ram-nath-kovind-vs-meira-kumar-voting-today-1725552|title=Presidential Election 2017 Highlights: Ram Nath Kovind vs Meira Kumar; Voting Ends|author=Abhishek Chakraborty|work=NDTV|accessdate=18 July 2017|date=17 July 2017}} support respectively.
Candidates
Two candidates were nominated. Both the governing NDA coalition and the opposition UPA coalition put forward candidates from their dominant parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress respectively.
= National Democratic Alliance =
{{main|Bharatiya Janata Party}} {{main|National Democratic Alliance}}
= United Progressive Alliance =
{{main|United Progressive Alliance}} {{main|Indian National Congress}}
Results
Ram Nath Kovind was declared as the President-elect after the counting of votes which was held on 20 July 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/president-of-india-kovind-vs-meira/20170720.htm|title=With 65% votes, Ram Nath Kovind is the next President of India|work=Rediff News|access-date=20 July 2017}} He was administered oath by the Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, to take office as the 15th President of India on 25 July 2017 at the Central Hall located in The Parliament House, New Delhi.{{Cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ram-nath-kovind-elected-india-14th-president/1/1006696.html|title=Ram Nath Kovind elected Indias 14th President, to take oath on July 25|access-date=20 July 2017|first=Nikhil|last=Agarwal|date=20 July 2017|work=India Today}}
| class="wikitable" style=text-align:right
|+ Results of the 2017 Indian presidential election{{cite news|title=Live: Ram Nath Kovind is 14th President of India, to take oath on July 25|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/presidential-election-2017-results-live-ram-nath-kovind-vs-meira-kumar/story-TOjAzvAIBjrSnugtsKpXTN.html|accessdate=20 July 2017|work=Hindustan Times |date=20 July 2017|language=en}}{{cite news|title=Ram Nath Kovind elected as the 14th President of India|url=http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/ram-nath-kovind-elected-14th-president-india-65477|accessdate=20 July 2017|work=The News Minute|date=20 July 2017}} |
| colspan=2|Candidate
! Coalition ! Individual ! Electoral ! % |
|---|
| bgcolor=#ff9900|
| align=left|Ram Nath Kovind | align=left|NDA | 2,930 | 702,044 | 65.65 |
| bgcolor=#01A2E8|
| align=left|Meira Kumar | align=left|UPA | 1,844 | 367,314 | 34.35 |
| colspan=10| |
| colspan=3 align=left| Valid votes
| 4,774 | 1,069,358 |98.08 |
| colspan=3 align=left| Blank and invalid votes
| 77 | 20,942 |1.92 |
| colspan=3 align=left|Total
| 4,851 | 1,090,300 | 100 |
| colspan=3 align=left|Registered voters / Turnout
|4,896 |1,098,903 |97.29 |
= Reactions =
Immediately after the results were announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, {{cquote|"Congratulations to Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji on being elected the President of India! Best wishes for a fruitful & inspiring tenure."}} In another tweet he added {{cquote|"Gladdened by the extensive support for Shri Ram Nath Kovind Ji among MPs & across various parties. I thank the members of the electoral college."}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20170720142051/http://images.indianexpress.com/2017/07/president-759.jpg Full results table, by state]
- [http://www.dailyo.in/variety/presidential-election-2017-who-is-bihar-governor-ram-nath-kovind-bjp-nda-candidate/story/1/17885.html Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind is NDA's Presidential nominee: Amit Shah]
{{Indian presidential elections}}
Category:Presidential elections in India