EC issues notification for presidential polls, 11 file nominations

The Election Commission on Wednesday issued the notification for 16th Presidential election, scheduled to be held on July 18.

As per the notification, the nominations can be filed till June 29 and the scrutiny of the papers will be held on June 30. The last date for withdrawing from the electoral fray is July 2. The counting will take place on July 21.

As per a source, 11 candidates filed the nomination for the country's top constitutional post after the notification was issued. However, one nomination was rejected due to incomplete documents, the source said.

Meanwhile, a meeting of opposition leaders, called by Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was held here on building consensus on zeroing in on a joint opposition candidate. The opposition parties agreed to field a joint candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections in the meeting.

The term of incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24.

--IANS

avr/vd