It's just about a month before India elects its next president. The poll to choose the country's titular head is slated to take place on July 17, with the counting taking place on July 20.
The election will be a prestige issue for both the BJP and the Opposition parties, and the Congress among the latter in particular.
While the saffron party will look to leave yet another stamp of itself in the corridors of power by getting its candidate elected President, the Opposition will look to this poll as an opportunity to put up a united front and give the BJP some sleepless nights.
Here are seven candidates from both sides who could be in the running for the top position:
1. Mohan Bhagwat: The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) is the BJP's ideological mentor. The BJP can pay it back by getting RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat elected President. Bhagwat as President would be ideal for the BJP also because he would not have too many qualms in signing the dotted lines of the laws the saffron party passes. However, his election may not be an easy task, with some allies of even the BJP — the Shiv Sena, for example — opposing it.
2. Sushma Swaraj: The current external affairs minister is quite popular among people — especially due to how she helps people who reach out to her for aid on Twitter. She could be a popular candidate for President, one whom many in the Opposition might not say no to. However, with Manohar Parrikar having left the Defence Ministry to go be Goa chief minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi might not want to lose another seasoned Cabinet colleague.
3. Draupadi Murmu: The current governor of Jharkhand is a backward-class candidate the BJP has been planning to field in the presidential election for quite some time. If the saffron party can get her elected, it will manage to diminish to quite an extent the "anti-poor" tag that is fast becoming associated with it. Murmu will also be a candidate the Opposition cannot speak out against, for fear of being termed casteist.
4. Thawar Chand Gehlot: This Rajasthan politician is currently the Union minister for social justice and empowerment, and another backward-class candidate the BJP has been looking to field, and for much the same reasons as Murmu. However, Gehlot may also have the advantage of being a little more known than Murmu, and therefore be more successful.
5. Gopal Krishna Gandhi: Things are looking really down for the Congress. As of now, it is in power in only two major states in the country: Punjab and Karnataka. Even the Gandhi name is failing in elections: There have been voices within the Congress itself to replace Rahul Gandhi. Under these circumstances, the party might look to this former West Bengal governor who also bears the famous surname to rekindle its magic.
6. Fali Nariman: An eminent jurist, Fali Nariman is not too well-versed in the art of politics. However, with his legal expertise, he could pose a serious problem for the laws the BJP might choose to pass. And that is a reason the Congress might want to field him in the presidential election.
7. Pranab Mukherjee: If all else fails for the Congress, it might choose to put up current President Pranab Mukherjee for reelection. However, that is a big gamble because no President since Rajendra Prasad — the first to hold the post — has been elected or completed two terms in that position. It would also show a lack of leadership within the Congress and the Opposition.
