Yashwant Sinha, former Union minister and the Opposition’s
pick for the presidential elections, made a fervent video appeal on Twitter
Monday morning, before the monsoon session convened to elect the 15th President
of India. Sinha, 84, was a career bureaucrat before he joined politics and
eventually became the Minister of External Affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s
cabinet. In the 2022 presidential elections, Sinha is up against BJP’s nominee,
an Adivasi woman, Droupadi Murmu.

Also Read | India elects its President: Its Droupadi Murmu vs Yashwant Sinha

“These presidential elections are happening in extraordinary
times. India is confronted with several troubles in various aspects of society.
But the biggest challenge before us is protecting the Constitution. Our
Constitution and constitutional values are at risk today. And, these
presidential polls will decide that the path in which the country will go,”
Yashwant Sinha said in his Twitter address in Hindi.

Sinha’s appeal is beyond partisan confines. In the video,
Sinha says every member of Parliament and legislative assembly will be able to
vote their conscience in the presidential elections. Contrary to usual norms,
there are no party whips issued for presidential polls. As a result, electors
are allowed to vote for anyone they wish to. The vote is also held in secret
ballot.

Also Read | Droupadi Murmu’s presidential bid a powerful symbol beyond politics

The presidential polls are underway on July 18. Votes will
be counted on July 21 and the new president will take oath on July 25 after
President Ram Nath Kovind remits office on July 24.

Yashwant Sinha’s rival Droupadi Murmu has the numbers
stacked in her favour. Beyond BJP, she has also received support from several
regional parties, including the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD), both
factions of the Shiv Sena, Andhra Pradesh’s YSRC and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal.

Yashwant Sinha was nominated as the Opposition’s
presidential candidate after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad
Pawar and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi
turned down the offer.