Who should be India's next President?
NEW DELHI: Nearly 60 per cent of the Electoral College, which elects the President of India, wants President A P J Abdul Kalam for a second term at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, according to the Electoral College Poll, a comprehensive survey conducted by NDTV and GfK Mode.
The NDTV PEOPLE?s POLL based on more than 300,000 online votes and SMSes also want A P J Abdul Kalam to continue as the President of India. With 84 per cent voting in for a second term for A P J Abdul Kalam, the next two front runners are Narayanmurthy with 49.6 per cent and Amartya Sen with 48.3 per cent respectively.
The Electoral College survey has interviewed more than 500 MPs and MLAs. A relatively "scientific" poll, it is throwing up 57.9 per cent wanting a second term for President Kalam. More than five per cent of the respondents felt it should be a Party Decision (5.4 per cent), 2.5 per cent of the respondents offered no opinion. Nearly 35 per cent of the respondents did not want Kalam to continue as President.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat emerged as front runners for President if not APJ Abdul Kalam. The other names included in the survey for the President‘s post include A.K.Antony (6.2 per cent), Karan Singh (8.1 per cent), Somnath Chatterjee (28.7 per cent), Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (26.3 per cent), Amartya Sen (4.6 per cent) and software industry icon N.R. Narayanmurthy (5.2 per cent). From a sample size of 520, 8.8 per cent of the respondents felt the decision should left to the ruling party while 12.1 per cent did not choose any of the names suggested in the Electoral College Poll.
Q1. Who should be the next President? (If not A P J Kalam)
A K Antony | 6.2 per cent |
Karan Singh |
8.1 per cent |
Somnath Chatterjee | 28.7 per cent |
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat |
26.3 per cent |
Amartya Sen |
4.6 per cent |
Narayanmurthy |
5.2 per cent |
Party Decision | 8.8 per cent |
None of the above | 12.1 per cent |
Q2. Should Kalam continue/have second term?
Yes | 57.4 per cent |
No | 34.2 per cent |
Party Decision |
5.4 per cent |
Can?t Say/No opinion |
2.5 per cent |
Watch the entire discussion on NDTV?s hallmark show ? The Big Fight at 10.00 am on 22 April, 2007 only on NDTV 24X7.