Presidential Polls 2022: Voting on July 18, informs CEC

New Delhi: Voting for Presidential elections will be held on July 18, announced Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

Speaking to media persons, Kumar said counting of votes will be on July 21.

The Chief Election Commissioner further informed a total of 4,809 electors will vote in the Presidential elections 2022. No political party can issue a whip to its members, he said.

Counting of the votes will be held in New Delhi under the supervision of the Returning Officer. On completion of counting, the Returning Officer will issue Return of Election.

The Election Commission’s notification calling the election will be issued on June 15, 2022. Last date for making nominations is June 29, 2022 and the date for scrutiny of nominations is June 30, 2022, informed the CEC.

Last date for withdrawal of candidatures is July 2, 2022.

The term of President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 25. According to Article 62 of the Constitution of India, the next President has to be elected by the date on which the incumbent President’s term ends.

The President of India is elected by an electoral college of 776 parliamentarians and 4,120 legislators. The total strength of the electoral college is 10,98,903 votes.

The Chief Election Commissioner said, “A nomination paper of a candidate has to be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers and by at least other fifty electors as seconders. An elector can subscribe to only one nomination paper of a candidate as either a proposer or a seconder.”

A candidate can file a maximum of four nomination papers. The security deposit for the election is Rs 15,000, which is required to be made along with the nomination paper, or should be deposited in Reserve Bank of India or a Government Treasury under the relevant Head of Accounts for the purpose, prior to filing of nomination.

Members of Parliament are expected to cast their votes at the place of polling in the Parliament House and Members of State Legislative Assemblies are expected to vote at the respective State Legislative Assembly.

Kumar mentioned that the election to the office of President shall be by secret ballot and therefore, the electors are expected to scrupulously maintain secrecy of vote and any violation of the voting procedure will entail cancellation of the ballot paper by the Presiding Officer.

“It is also clarified that political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs and MLAs in the matter of voting in the Presidential election,” Kumar said.

For marking the vote, the Commission will supply particular pens. The pen will be given to the electors in the polling station by the designated official when the ballot paper is handed over. Electors have to mark the ballot only with this particular pen and not with any other pen. Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting.

To make elections eco-friendly, the election to the office of President of India, The ECI has directed the Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officers concerned to ensure use of eco-friendly and biodegradable material and eliminate the use of prohibited plastic or materials as per extant instructions of the Government of India.

The last Presidential elections were held in 2017 during which Ram Nath Kovind had secured 65.35 per cent. Kovind became the 14th President of India.