President, next
THE WEEK|March 19, 2017

Sumitra Mahajan, M.M. Joshi, Venkaiah Naidu, Draupadi Murmu and T.C. Gehlot are the hot favourites

Pratul Sharma
President, next

The results of the assembly elections in five states will arrive on March 11. And they will initiate hectic parleys and calculations to choose India’s 14th president. To send its nominee to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the BJP needs to score a comprehensive victory in Uttar Pradesh, and do well in other states.

By zeroing in on a retirement home for President Pranab Mukherjee, whose tenure gets over in July, the government has signalled that it is keen on sending someone from its own ideological family to occupy the top constitutional office. Mukherjee won the election in July 2012 by getting 7,13,763 votes, more than double the number his rival, former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, polled.

“Things will be clear after the [assembly poll] results in five states, especially Uttar Pradesh,” a Union minister told THE WEEK. According to the minister, it was too early to predict the outcome of the presidential election, as the BJP is still more than 70,000 votes short of majority.

The president is chosen by an electoral college of MPs and legislators in states. The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation, in which population figures and the number of assembly seats of states play a role in determining the value of each vote of the electoral college (see graphics). In Uttar Pradesh, for instance, 403 MLAs have a combined 83,824 votes.

“After the results are declared, the people of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa would have spoken and given a clear mandate to the BJP,” said Meenakshi Lekhi, MP and BJP spokesperson. “The party is confident of getting its candidate elected as the next president.”

Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin March 19, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin March 19, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE WEEK DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 dak  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 dak  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 dak  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 dak  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 dak  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 dak  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 dak  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 dak  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 dak  |
November 17, 2024