Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 19 (ANI):
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan cast his vote for the presidential election at the State Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram that began on Monday in which NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is pitted against joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Polling began at 10 am at the Parliament House and the state legislative assemblies to elect the 15th President of India. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on July 21.
NDA's Murmu has the support of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal (Secular), Shiromani Akali Dal, both the factions of Shiv Sena and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
Murmu is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha Minister. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country's second female President.
The Opposition's Sinha, a former Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government who later joined Trinamool Congress, is backed by Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Sinha resigned from TMC before he was nominated as the Opposition's candidate for the presidential poll.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his vote in Parliament for the presidential election.
Ahead of the commencement of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged all members of Parliament to make the session fruitful and productive by holding discussions and debates with an open mind.
The Prime Minister also briefed about the upcoming Presidential and Vice-Presidential polls.
Price rise, the Agnipath scheme and unemployment are some of the issues which are likely to be raised by the Opposition during the Monsoon session.
Various Bills including the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, and Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill are likely to be taken up in the session. (ANI)
