Pranab Mukherjee and P A Sangma will file their nominations on Thursday, setting off the presidential race between the United Progressive Alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed opposition candidate in which the ruling alliance is set for a runaway victory.
Even as focus is on Pranab Mukherjee and P A Sangma in coming Presidential polls, nomination papers have already been filed by 26 others who represent varied background -- from autorickshaw driver to tea vendor.
Rasheed Kidwai, associate editor of The Telegraph newspaper who is the author of Sonia: A biography and 24 Akbar Road, made an exclusive appearance on Rediff Chat on Monday where he fielded wide-ranging questions about the Presidential poll. Here is the transcript from the chat..
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday defended its decision to contest the presidential poll in which its has endorsed the former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma's candidature against the United Progressive Alliance nominee Pranab Mukherjee and said that the election for the top post was an integral part of democracy.