Hyderabad: Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar called on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday.
Besides the Chief Minister, TRS secretary-general and MP Dr K. Kesava Rao, TRS MP K. Kavitha and energy minister A. Jagdish Reddy received Mr Pawar at the Begumpet CM’s camp office.
Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, a good friend of Mr Pawar, presented a shawl, a silver replica of Kakatiya arch and bouquet to the NCP president.
While the CMO maintained it was a courtesy call since Mr Pawar had come to the city on some personal work, speculation is rife he met Mr Rao to seek support for him in the Presidential election slated next year. Election of President of India and Vice-President is due in 2017 (June and July). President Pranab Mukherjee’s term ends on July 25, 2017, while that of Vice-President Hamid Ansari in August 2017.
Pawar’s power play for Presidential polls
A source close to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s meeting the CM was purely a courtesy call.
“Mr Pawar, who is a close friend of the Chief Minister spent about 15 minutes. Of course they discussed the current political situation in the state and country, TRS government programmes and policies,” a source close to the Chief Minister said.
Mr Pawar had recently attended the Ayutha Chandi Maha Yagam conducted by the Mr Chandrasekhar Rao in his Yerravalli farm house in Medak district.
Mr Pawar was seen carrying some papers, but a CMO official said they have no idea about it.
Mr Pawar recently celebrated his 75th birthday with gusto which was attended by top national leaders.
Clarity on next President to come close to election
Clarity on who will be the next President, whether a NDA-sponsored candidate or a candidate backed by the combined Opposition, will emerge only close to the date of the next Presidential elections, scheduled for 2017.
Assembly elections are due to be held in five states this year — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala (May) and Puducherry and Assam (June) — and for another five states, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Goa (March) and Uttar Pradesh (May) next year.
The electors for the Presidential elections are elected members of Parliament, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha (total 776) and elected Members of Legislative Assemblies across the country (4,120).
MLCs will not have voting rights. Normally, the Election Commission tries to complete all elections related to State Assemblies and bypolls for the Lok Sabha, and biennial polls for the Rajya Sabha if any are due, before proceeding to constitute the Electoral College for holding the Presidential elections.
This year, 2016, will see biennial polls for 53 Rajya Sabha seats and 2017 will see these polls for 18 seats.
The value of votes of electors is basically determined on the basis of the population of the states.
While the value of the votes cast by MPs remains unchanged at 708, it varies from Assembly to Assembly due to variation in the population of the respective state.
The value of combined AP Assembly was 148. The vote value for TS will be determined next year. It is 208 in the case of Uttar Pradesh due to the state’s large population.
Electors have to mark the first preference vote on the basis of single transferable mode which is compulsory to make ballot paper valid.
