Murmu, Sinha in fray for presidential poll after scrutiny of papers

New Delhi: NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu and her challenger Yashwant Sinha were the only two candidates left in the fray for the July 18 presidential election after scrutiny of nomination papers, Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody said on Thursday.

Mody, the returning officer for the presidential election, said 115 nomination papers of 94 persons were received till Wednesday, of which 107 were rejected for not meeting the required criteria

The nomination papers of Murmu and Sinha – four sets each – were found to fulfill all the requirements of a valid nomination and were accepted, he said.

Mody said the list of contesting candidates will be published in the gazette on July 2 after 3 pm, which is the last date for withdrawal of nomination.

According to the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election Act, a nomination for the presidential poll is rejected if it is not backed by 50 proposers and 50 seconders from the electoral college made up of members of Parliament and legislative assemblies.

The nomination will also be rejected if an aspirant does not pay Rs 15,000 in cash or present a receipt showing such an amount deposited in the Reserve Bank of India or a government treasury. Cheques and demand drafts are not acceptable means of paying the security deposits.

Besides Murmu and Sinha, a host of commoners had also filed their papers for the top constitutional post in the country, which includes a slum dweller from Mumbai, a namesake of RJD founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, a social activist from Tamil Nadu, and a professor from Delhi.

According to the law, any Indian citizen having completed 35 years and eligible to be a member of the Lok Sabha is qualified to become a candidate to contest the election to the office of the President of India.

The aspiring candidate should not be holding any office of profit under the central or state government or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the governments.

The incumbent president, vice-president, governor of any state, or ministers of the Centre or any state shall be eligible to contest the election.

The nomination papers can be submitted either by the candidate or by any of his proposers or seconders. The candidate is also required to furnish a certified copy of the entry showing his name in the current electoral roll for the parliamentary constituency in which he is registered as an elector.