As Mr. Pranab Mukherjee bids farewell to the presidentship this July, the quest for suitable candidates for 2017 Presidential elections has gained momentum in the country. A highly Modi-fied BJP is banking on Jharkhand governor Draupadi Murmu as their contender whereas the opposition leaders are yet to find a common candidate for the post. Many senior Congress leaders refused to bear the responsibility for the top job, following which, the responsibility for the candidate hunt in the INC was allotted to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
A string of controversy surrounding the Ram Mandir case in Ayodhya had put BJP leaders in a state of jeopardy. With the veterans like Murli Manohar Joshi and LK Advani involved neck deep in the Babri Masjid demolition case, BJP underwent a fresh round of brainstorming sessions to finalize its candidate list. Having pondered for several weeks, both the parties decided on their candidates.
Let’s find out who’ll be the next president of India.
Top Candidates for 2017 Presidential Elections
- Sumitra Mahajan
BJP is banking on the current Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs. Sumitra Mahajan for this post. Having a crystal clear image, Mahajan is said to be the frontrunner in the presidential race. She was appreciated for conducting Parliamentary sessions with utmost sincerity, which is why; she has high chances of becoming the next president.
- Draupadi Murmu
Keeping up with its ‘women empowerment’ goals, BJP seems to have included a lot of women candidates on their list this year. By projecting Draupadi Murmu as their president candidate, they’ll try to win the confidence of both women as well as the tribals. If selected, the Jharkhand Governor will be India’s first tribal president.
- Justice P Sathasivam
Sathasivam, who’s world-acclaimed for his strict and just demeanor was once the Chief Justice of India. Currently, he’s serving as the governor of Kerala.
- Thawarchand Gehlot
It’s interesting to note that BJP has picked just one candidate who’s directly in touch with Indian politics. Thawarchand Gehlot—a Modi-shah loyalist is the rising Dalit face in the party. Gehlot had served as the union minister for social development and entrepreneurship. Compared to his comrades, he has a relatively clean image.
Contrary to the general public misconception, BJP has omitted the names of Advani, Joshi and RSS chieftain Mohan Bhagwant’s image; the reason being that the party doesn’t want any controversies to be linked with the upcoming elections.
On the other hand, Congress is banking on Mr. Fali Nariman (former Additional solicitor general of India) and Mr. Gopal Krishna Gandhi (scholar and former West Bengal governor) as their top choices. They also approached Mr. Sharad Yadav (Senior JDU leader) and Mr. Sharad Pawar (the NCP Chief) for this purpose, but they apparently declined the offer.
Whether the new president will be from BJP or Congress, only time can tell! As of now, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
