Will all MPs and MLAs who proposed and seconded Yashwant Sinha’s candidature in the Presidential election vote for him? This was the question asked in the corridors of the Parliament House, just as the day for voting in the election approached.

Ever since Droupadi Murmu’s candidature in the election was announced by the BJP-led NDA, she received support of many Opposition parties. There is no party whip in the Presidential election to ensure that MPs or MLAs vote for the candidate supported by the party.

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Voting is by secret ballot, as in Lok Sabha elections, and none may know who has voted for whom. As support for Murmu’s candidature rose by the day, political observers wondered whether the Opposition candidate would get votes of even his four hundred proposers and seconders who signed his four sets of nomination papers.

Sinha’s name was announced as a “common” candidate of a dozen and half Opposition parties on 21 June. The Opposition leaders who made the announcement had clarified Sinha was a “common candidate” of the Opposition, and not a “consensus” candidate.

Questioned how Sinha, a former bureaucrat and a former Finance Minister, emerged as the Opposition’s choice, a Left leader later confided the “larger” Opposition parties decided on the name, “and we have joined them” in the interest of unity.

At the time Sinha filed his nomination papers, a number of Opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi of Congress, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, K T Rama Rao of TRS, A Raja of the DMK and Sitaram Yechury of the CPI (M) were present.

The leaders said Sinha’s candidature was supported by the entire Opposition. Sinha filed his nomination papers three days after Murmu, the NDA candidate.

The NDA already enjoyed the support of the Biju Janata Dal, the YSR Congress Party and the AIADMK. The BSP, Janata Dal (S) and the Akali Dal also announced their support.

Backing of Congress-led UPA’s allies the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Shiv Sena has been announced now. Sinha’s difficulties were apparent when the NDA announced Murmu’s name the same evening when Sinha’s came was declared by the Opposition.

A crucial development was the ambivalent attitude of the Trinamul Congress which had suggested Sinha’s name originally. It became difficult for many Opposition parties not to support a self-made tribal leader and a former Jharkhand Governor in the election.

The Presidential election is the 16th in the series. Its voting will be on Monday, 18 July, between 10 am and 5 pm, and the result will be out after counting of votes on 21 July.