Presidential election: 98.91 pc turnout at Parliament House, 719 of 727 MPs cast vote

The Presidential election was held in a peaceful and orderly manner on Monday with Parliament House seeing a voter turnout of 98.91 per cent.

Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody, who is returning officer for the Presidential election, said the voting closed at 5 pm at the Parliament House and at designated places in the capitals of all states besides the UTs of Puducherry and Delhi.

"The polling was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner in all designated places," he said.

Of the 736 electors comprising 727 MPs and nine MLAs who were permitted by the Election Commission to vote at Parliament House, 728 electors cast their vote. This includes 719 MPs and nine MLAs. The total turnout at Parliament House was 98.91 per cent.

Mody said Assistant Returning Officers of various states will start arriving with the polled sealed boxes to Parliament House by road and by air from Monday evening.

He said the first ballot is expected to arrive in Parliament House at around 10 pm on Monday and all necessary security arrangements for safe transit of ballot boxes have been made.

The Parliament Security Service is coordinating actively with the Delhi Police, airport authorities, CRPF and other security agencies to ensure smooth and secure transport of ballot boxes.

The counting will take place in Room No 63 in Parliament House on July 21 from 11 am and the result will be declared immediately after the counting. The immediate precincts of Room Number 63 have been declared as sanitised and silent zone.

Only counting officers, officials deployed to assist the Rajya Sabha Secretary General, candidates and one authorised representative of each candidate, observers appointed by Election Commission and media persons with valid passes will be allowed entry in the counting hall.

Besides Parliament House, some MPs had sought permission of Election Commission to vote from state capitals.

The contest is between BJP-led NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and opposition parties' candidate Yashwant Sinha.

( With inputs from ANI )