Presidential polls happening today

Voting for the 2022 presidential election, in which NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu will face off against Yashwant Sinha, a joint candidate of the opposition, started earlier in the day, with Modi being the first to cast his ballot.

In the first 1.5 hours of the presidential election, 350 voters reportedly cast their ballots, including Manmohan Singh, 89, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

When Singh arrived at the voting booth, four officials assisted him in rising from his wheelchair and casting his ballot.

For the presidential election, voting was also taking place in a number of state assemblies. Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, MK Stalin, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, and Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Delhi, were among the early voters in these states.

 On October 13 of last year, the seasoned Congressman and two-time former prime minister was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi after complaining of weakness brought on by a fever. On October 31, he was released from the hospital.

Earlier in the day, voting for the presidential election, in which NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu is up against a joint choice of the Opposition, Yashwant Sinha, began. Modi was the first to cast his ballot. At 5 o'clock, the voting would come to an end.

On Monday, opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha made a plea for support to parliamentarians, He repeatedly emphasised that this election is highly important as it will determine whether democracy in India will continue or slowly fade away.

Members of Legislative Councils and about 4,800 elected MPs and MLAs are eligible to vote in the election, while nominated MPs and MLAs are not.