Pranab Mukherjee is India's 13th President
Pranab Mukherjee was today elected as the 14th President of India,
marking a new journey for the veteran Congress leader after over four
decades of life in active politics. Mr Mukherjee, UPA nominee, got
5,64,469 vote value, well beyond the half-way mark of 5,25,140 in an
electoral college of over 10.5 lakh when counting of votes polled by the
MPs and MLAs of 20 of the 30 States was completed. His rival P A
Sangma, who was backed by BJP and some other opposition parties like
AIADMK and BJD, could manage only 2,57,466 vote value, according to
Rajya Sabha Secretary General V K Agnihotri, who is the Returning
Officer for the poll. Mr Mukherjee, 76-year-old Congress leader, brings
to the top Constitutional post a wealth of experience as he has held key
positions in the party and government, including holding the portfolios
of Finance, Defence and External Affairs. He established a clear lead
right from the beginning when counting of votes of MPs completed and
maintained it across the States, except the BJP-ruled ones. He sprang a
surprise in BJP-ruled Karnataka where he got the votes of 117 MLAs
against BJP’s 103 in the 224—member Assembly. Out of 748 MPs, who had
voted, he secured 527 votes with a value of 3,73,116 against 206 for Mr
Sangma which has a value of 1,45,848. Fifteen votes including that of SP
chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were invalid. Of these, nine were to be in
favour of Mr Mukherjee while six for Mr Sangma.Voting for the
Presidential election took place on July 19. The electoral college for
the poll comprises MPs and MLAs.
Ministers greet Pranab
As Mr Mukherjee
headed for victory, senior ministers, including A K Antony and P
Chidambaram, went to his 13, Talkatora Road residence to greet him. “He
will be a great President. We wish him all the success,” Mr Chidambaram
told reporters outside his residence. As expected, Mr Mukherjee won with
the backing of UPA partners, including Trinamool Congress which had
announced its support only at the last minute. Outside supporters of
UPA, including Samajwadi Party and BSP, besides some opposition parties
like JD(U) and Shiv Sena also voted in his favour.
Clean sweep in Kerala
In Kerala, it was a
clean sweep for Mr Mukherjee as he got all the 124 votes polled while
one was invalid. Mr Sangma drew a blank. CPI and RSP members abstained
from voting. In neighbouring BJP-ruled Karnataka, there has been
apparent cross-voting. Mr Mukherjee got the majority votes in the
224-member Assembly with 117 MLAs voting for him. Mr Sangma could get
only 103 votes while three votes were invalid. One MLA did not vote. The
Congress had expected only 102 votes, including that of H D Deve
Gowda-led JD(S). Mr Sangma, as expected, scored heavily in States ruled
by BJP, like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and
Goa. Strangely in Jharkhand where BJP shares power with JMM, Mr Sangma
got the votes of only 20 MLAs. JMM voted for Mr Mukherjee. The electoral
college included 4120 MLAs in the States.