The Election Commission today issued a notification formally setting in motion the process for the July 19 Presidential election.With the notification issued, the filing of nominations began from today and go on till June 30. Scrutiny will take place on July 2 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is July 4.Counting of votes is scheduled for July 21, three days before incumbent A P J Abdul Kalam demits office.The UPA-Left combine has announced the candidature of Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil as its nominee, while Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat is expected to be fielded as an NDA-backed independent candidate.Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achary has been appointed returning officer for the election.776 members of parliament, including 543 from Lok Sabha, and 4,120 MLAs from various states, including Delhi and Puducherry, constitute the electoral college whose total vote count comes to 10,98,882 votes.The ruling UPA alliance has got over 5.13 lakh votes while the strength of the opposition NDA is over 3.54 lakh votes, and the combination of eight regional parties constituting the third front accounts for 1.05 lakh votes.
