Presidential elections 2017

#FLASH: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu named NDA's Vice Presidential candidate pic.twitter.com/n8QfoYfZYV

& ANI (@ANI_news) July 17, 2017

The voting ended at 5pm in Parliament House and state assemblies across India with an overwhelming majority of the electoral college members having cast their vote.

The Old Committee Room in the Assembly was the designated polling station in Haryana, while in Punjab, the polling was being held in the Assembly complex.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhary excercised their votes in the designated polling station for Haryana. Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, AAP's senior leaders Sukhpal Khaira and Aman Arora and Lok Insaaf Party's two legislators Balwinder Bains and Simmerjit Singh Bains cast their votes in the Punjab Assembly complex here, an election office spokesperson said.

The three Independent legislators who voted in favour of the NDA candidate are Geeta Koda, Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Enos Ekka. "We voted in favour of the NDA candidate. The President should be elected by consensus," Geeta Koda told the media in Ranchi.

Of the 81 state legislators, 80 have cast their votes in the premises of the Jharkhand assembly where the polling is underway.

Voted in the Presidential elections 2017. pic.twitter.com/2EttGVwwhs

& mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 17, 2017

Sheltering himself under an umbrella due to the rain, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Kejriwal reached room no. 35 of the Delhi Assembly, where voting is taking place to elect India's next President.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also cast his vote soon after voting started. "Casting vote for the highest post of the country is a matter of pride. The country should win," Sisodia told reporters after casting his vote.

Former AAP Minister Kapil Mishra also cast his vote and said, "My vote went to one who is all set to become next President."

"Because all MPs don't necessarily vote only according to conscience, they also vote according to party lines and party lines are divided somewhat on ideology, principles and political positioning. So, I don't read too much into any other statement, except the fact that this is a clear case of the NDA scoring big in terms of the numbers," senior NCP leader Praful Patel said.

BJP senior leader LK Advani, @SushmaSwaraj and NC MP and former Kashmir CM Farooq Abdullah during #PresidentialElection Photo: @ANINDYAtimes pic.twitter.com/JWmha14caY

& mdash; TOI Delhi (@TOIDelhi) July 17, 2017

As voting to elect India's next president got underway today, the BJP exuded confidence that its candidate Ram Nath Kovind would win with a "comfortable" margin while the opposition CPI(M) asked the electoral college to vote thoughtfully and uphold the Constitution. Kovind, the former Bihar governor, is contesting against the opposition's joint candidate and former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar.

"Kovind ji will win (the election) with a respectable and comfortable margin," Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters ahead of the polling. Naidu, however, refused to comment on the BJP parliamentary board's meeting to pick the ruling alliance's vice presidential candidate. Let the presidential poll get over first, he said.

The CPI(M), which is backing Meira Kumar, urged voters, comprising MPs and MLAs, to pick the "custodian of the Constitution" thoughtfully. "Hope the Electoral College picks the custodian of India's Constitution thoughtfully: Vote to uphold Constitutional Values of our Republic," party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said on Twitter.

With both Kovind and Kumar belonging to the Dalit community, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati expressed satisfaction that a Dalit leader would occupy office of the president irrespective of who won the poll.

Mayawati also claimed it was because of her party that the NDA and the opposition had to field candidates from the community.

Gandhi on Sunday called for a "conscience vote" while attacking the Narendra Modi government for trying to impose "narrow-minded, divisive and communal vision" on the country.

Tamil Nadu Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami was the first person to cast vote for presidential poll in Tamil Nadu on Monday. The election for the country's top post began in the committee hall of the secretariat at 10am. "It's a secret vote. I can't say anything more," said Palaniswami, after casting his the first vote.

BJP MP Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress MP @Jairam_Ramesh in Parliament during #PresidentialElection Photo: @ANINDYAtimes pic.twitter.com/ulp4dbanbw

& mdash; TOI Delhi (@TOIDelhi) July 17, 2017

The PM was making a play on the acronym for the new taxation bill - the Goods and Services Tax bill - the provisions of which came into effect across the country in the last special session of Parliament called on July 1 midnight. "GST shows the good that can be achieved when all parties come together and work for the nation," the PM said, adding that he hopes for a fruitful monsoon session. "The GST spirit is about growing stronger together. I hope the same GST spirit prevails in the session," the PM added.

The GST spirit is about growing stronger together. I hope the same GST spirit prevails in the session: PM @narendramodi

& mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 17, 2017

Today the Monsoon Session begins. Like the Monsoon brings hope, this session also brings same spirit of hope: PM @narendramodi

& mdash; PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 17, 2017

At a meeting of NDA MPs which was attended by Kovind, Modi recalled that the former Bihar governor had worked as a 'sahyogi' (secretary or aide) of former PM Morarji Desai and said this government would offer all 'sahyog' (help) to him. The PM stressed that Kovind's journey, whether as a lawyer or as a political person, had always been non-controversial and even the presidential poll campaign was that way.

Addressing a meeting of MPs from several opposition parties on the eve of the presidential poll, Sonia said the election represented "a conflict of disparate values" and the battle should be fought hard. Admitting that the ruling BJP-led alliance had an edge in the presidential and vice-presidential poll, Sonia appealed for a conscience vote.

The electorate, comprising elected Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and members of state assemblies, is tilted in favour of the NDA, but the opposition is still working to seek support of some regional parties in favour of their candidate.