Presidential Elections | Will Nitish Kumar perform a volte-face this time too?

The ruling side needs to keep a watch on its ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has in the recent past taken a contradictory stand from the BJP on critical issues (File image: Reuters)

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has fixed July 18 for the presidential polls, setting the stage for another keen battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition.

President Ram Nath Kovind is set to retire on July 24, but there is no clarity yet if he will be given another term.

So far, except Rajendra Prasad no other President had been re-elected to the country's highest post.

While the polls are slated for July 18, the counting of votes, if needed, will take place on July 21. The new President will take oath on July 25.

The President of India is elected by members of the electoral college, consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament, and elected members of the legislative assemblies of all states, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry. However, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be the only exception as it is currently under President's rule and does not have an assembly.

Altogether, 776 Members of Parliament (each having a vote value of 700) and 4,033 legislators will vote in the election. The total vote value of legislators is 543,231 and that of MPs is 543,200. In all, there will be 4,809 electors with a vote value of 1,086,431.

In the coming days, the BJP leadership will deliberate and finalise its candidate. The Opposition too is expected to firm up its strategy on the matter.

But all eyes would be on the non-aligned, non-BJP, non-UPA regional parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The BJP has 48.9 percent of the vote share of all the MPs and legislators. The Opposition and other regional parties comprise the remaining 51.1 percent.

In such a scenario, the regional parties hold the key. The BJP will need the support of the BJD and the YSRCP to get its candidate elected, and as of now there are no indications that the two will throw a spanner in the ruling party's plan.

In the past too, these parties have bailed out the government, and helped it in the passage of important Bills in Parliament.

But the ruling side needs to keep a watch on its ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has in the recent past taken a contradictory stand from the BJP on critical issues such as the proposed anti-conversion law, population control policy, and the caste census.

His denial to re-nominate Union minister RCP Singh, whose closeness to the BJP leadership is well-known, was a strong message to its alliance partner.

Twice in the past during presidential elections, Kumar had gone against the grouping of which his Janata Dal (United) was a part. First, in 2012, he went against the BJP despite being in the NDA to support Congress veteran Pranab Mukherjee, and then in 2017, the JD(U) voted for NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind despite being a member of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the Congress.

It remains to be seen if he does it again, or prove his critics wrong. However, this time he has limited options, and that might eventually force him to stay put.

Adding an interesting twist to the high-profile elections, JD(U) leader and Bihar minister Shravan Kumar stated that Nitish Kumar is the most suitable candidate to become President of India. He might have said it without the knowledge of his boss but the statement has certainly set tongues wagging.

The question is whether the BJP will repose that level of trust in Nitish Kumar, and offer him the top constitutional top job. For its part, the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to throw up surprises, and the presidential elections are no exception.

The ruling side has maintained that it would try to evolve a broad consensus on its candidate, but the Opposition is unlikely to play ball.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has delegated to senior colleague Mallikarjun Kharge to the task of finalising a name after talking to all the Opposition parties. He has discussed the issue with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, who is seen a front-runner for the top post. Kharge will next speak to Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to seek unanimity on the issue.

Clearly, it’s a tough task for Kharge.

Aurangzeb Naqshbandi is a senior journalist who has been covering the Congress for 15 years, and is currently associated with Pixstory.

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.