2017 Presidential elections -India
The Indian Presidential Election 2017
The presidential elections in India have always been keenly contested and the 15th presidential election 2017 is no exception. For the first time both presidential nominees Ram Nath Kovind of the ruling party led NDA alliance and Meira Kumar of the Opposition’s UPA alliance are both Dalits.
In the past, the presidential elections saw many nominees to the post. In fact the presidential polls of 1967 saw 17 candidates in the fray. It was only since the 1974 and 1997 amendments, which made it mandatory for candidates to have proposers and seconders of their name, that the polls have seen direct contests between only two candidates.
The President’s post is ‘titular’, being a formal post without a position of authority like the British monarch but unlike the US president who is both Head of State and Head of the Government. Our Constitution chose this particular framework to avoid confrontation between the President and the Executive on the parameters of authority and responsibility in governance. As the presidential post is symbolic and as major power vests in the Executive, the Indian citizens do not elect the President directly, but instead he/she is elected by an ‘electoral college’ comprising of the elected members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and also the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the State, including only two Union Territories of NCR Delhi and Puducherry. Another advantage of this framework is that it upholds the value of integrity associated with the post by freeing it from political party affiliation.
The Indian President is elected by the ‘Proportional Voting system through a Single Transferable Vote’. While the ‘Proportional Voting’ system ensures that there is different States are adequately represented in the system; the ‘Single Transferable Vote’ within such proportional voting system ensures that the candidate selected is based on a ranking methodology where the voters ranks his candidates as per his order of preference. This method is considered superior to the ‘straight vote system’.
Coming back to the 2017 presidential elections in India; a lot of drama has been witnessed till date. The elections were supposed to be a showcase of ‘Opposition Unity’ but hopes were dashed when maverick Nitish Kumar , Bihar’s Chief Minister sprung a surprise supporting the NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind although the Opposition candidate Meira Kumar was a ‘ Bihar ki Beti’. The election also shows aspects of progression and regression within our country. Progressive because both candidates are Dalits and it is satisfying to see the most scourged caste rise to the highest echelons of power. Regressive, because it highlights the fact that caste politics does not spare even the highest office of the country.
With a vote percentage of more than 60% in his favor, it does look like smooth sailing for the NDA nominee Mr. Ram Nath Kovind as of now ….. but one must wait till the curtains open on the event on 17th July’ 2017.
