Presidential Election 2017: Yogi Adityanath, Uma Bharti cast ballot, confident of Ram Nath Kovind's win

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Union minister Uma Bharti were among those who cast their votes for the presidential poll in Lucknow on Monday. The voting began at 10 am at the Tilak Hall in the Assembly complex. After casting his vote, the chief minister told reporters that NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind will win the election with a huge margin. [caption id=“attachment_3813457” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Reuters[/caption] “This is a matter of pride for the people of Uttar Pradesh, the son of the state is going to become the President,” he said. Both Adityanath and Maurya have not yet resigned from the Lok Sabha and are voters as MPs. Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Shivpal Singh Yadav said he voted for Kovind. “My open support is for Kovindji, who belongs to Kanpur and is our neighbour,” he told reporters, adding, “Meira Kumar did not seek vote from him and he voted on directions of ’netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav)”. Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD) lone legislator Vijay Mishra told reporters that he supported Kovind. After casting her vote, Union minister Uma Bharti said, “Kovind is winnig elections for sure and the margin will be huge.” After the conclusion of voting at 5 pm, the ballot boxes will be sealed and sent to Delhi. Prominent among those who voted included ministers in Adityanath’s government: Srikant Sharma, Sidharth Nath Singh, Swami Prasad Maurya and Suresh Khanna among others. The NDA has fielded former Bihar governor Kovind for the top constitutional post, while former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar is the joint opposition candidate. Counting of votes will take place on 20 July in New Delhi where all the ballot boxes will be brought from various state capitals. The tenure of incumbent Pranab Mukherjee ends on 24 July.