NEW DELHI: With President Ram Nath Kovind’s term ending on July 25 Election Commission of India will be releasing the Election notification for the Presidential elections this year. In this context the name of Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan has come into prominence to be selected under the women's quota for the post of President.

This time around 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs will vote for the Presidential election. The total value of votes is going to be 10,98,903, the number of MP votes is 708. And the highest number of MLA votes is 208 from the State of Uttar Pradesh.

A lot of theories like a candidate from Schedule Tribe (ST), Schedule Caste (SC), or from South India are doing the rounds in the political circles. Speculations are rife that the BJP-led NDA will nominate a candidate keeping in mind the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

Currently, the names of Tamilisai Soundararajan Anusuiya Uikey, and Arif Mohammad Khan, presently the Governor of Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Kerala, respectively, and Draupadi Murmu, the former Governor of Jharkhand, are doing the rounds for the Presidential nominee of the BJP.

The names of Union Ministers Arjun Munda (tribal affairs) and former Minister Juel Oram are also doing the rounds. For the first time there seems to be an opportunity for a tribal to hold the highest office in India

Reports also suggest that former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and Rajnath Singh’s names are under consideration under those in the upper caste category.

The names of Muktar Abbas Naqvi and Kerala Governor Arif Mahmood Khan have come up in the minority quota.

So far six Vice Presidents got the opportunity to become the Presidents of the country. Sarvepalli Radhakrishna, VV Giri, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, and R. Venkatraman have served as the Presidents from South India till now. In a similar manner Vice President Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu’s name as a potential presidential candidate is also being speculated.

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