Ram Nath Kovind vs Meira Kumar: All you need to about 2017 Presidential election

New Delhi: The stage is set for the election of India's 14th President on Monday in a contest in which National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Ram Nath Kovind has a clear advantage over the opposition nominee Meira Kumar.

Here's is all that you need to know about the Presidential Election 2017:-

-The battle is largely between Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar.

-Both candidates trace their roots to Dalit community.

-The total value of votes of the electoral college is 10,98,903, and the NDA candidate is slated to cross the halfway-mark and get about 63 percent votes.

-Ram Nath Kovind, who belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has the backing of all NDA allies, besides several regional parties.

-Meira Kumar has been fielded by the Congress and some major opposition parties in what they call an "ideological battle" against the ruling party.

-Polling for the presidential election will take place in Parliament House and respective state assemblies between 10 am and 5 pm. 

-Elected members of both houses of Parliament and assemblies in states, including the National Capital Region of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry, are eligible to vote.

-Counting of votes in the election will be taken up on July 20 and the result will be known the same evening - four days before the end of the term of President Pranab Mukherjee. 

-The new President is set to take over on July 25.

-As per reports, polling in Parliament House will take place in Room Number 62 and MPs will vote according to tables allocated to states they represent.

-Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi would vote on table number 6 as they are all MPs from Uttar Pradesh, the sources said.

-They added that there will be six tables. MLAs, who have chosen to vote in Delhi, would do so from table number one.

The Electoral Arithmetic

-In the electoral arithmetic, Kovind has a distinct advantage over his rival with parties like Janata Dal (United) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD), who are not allied with BJP, deciding to vote for him.

-The Janata Dal (U) has about 1.91 percent of electoral college votes, while the BJD of Odisha has 2.99 percent. 

-In addition, the ruling Telangana's ruling TRS (with two percent votes), different factions of AIADMK (5.39 percent), YSR Congress (1.53 percent) have decided to vote for Kovind.

-The announcement of Kovind's candidature created some fissures in the opposition with the JD (U) announcing its support for him against the stand of its Bihar allies -Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress.

Though the Aam Aadmi Party has declared its support to Kumar, its leader HS Phoolka, who has handled several 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, has said he would abstain as he cannot vote with the Congress.

The Secret Ballot

-The electoral college for the election comprises elected members of the two houses of Parliament as also of legislative assemblies. 

-Election will be by secret ballot and in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote.

-Lok Sabha Secretary General Anoop Mishra is the Returning Officer for the election.

-The value of vote of an MP is 708 while that of an MLA varies from state to state depending on the size of its population.

-Officials said that each polling station has been given a specified number of ballot papers. While MPs will be given green ballot paper, MLAs will be given one that is pink.

-The electors have to mark the ballot only with a particular pen given to them at the polling station along with the ballot paper.

-In the last presidential election in 2012, Pranab Mukherjee had defeated PA Sangma and got over 69 percent votes.

-The MPs have also been informed of their serial number in the electoral college.

-The officials said that after end of voting, ballot boxes will start arriving in Parliament House from Monday evening and will be kept in a strong room. 

-The Assistant Returning Officers will also furnish an account of the total votes cast in their states.

-They said that the seal of ballot boxes will be opened on August 20 in the presence of representatives of the two candidates and the observers of the poll panel. 

-The winning candidate will be given a certificate by the Returning Officer.