NEW DELHI (PTI): An estimated 95 per cent of 4600-strong electoral college of members of Parliament(MPs)and members of legislative assemblies (MLAS) exercised their franchise in the tenth presidential elections 10 chose a successor 10 Venkataraman,

It is almost a direct fight between the Congress (i) nominee Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma and the two major opposition groups, Bharatiya Janata Party and National Front, candidate prof. G.G Swell as all efforts towards finding consensus last month failed

Polling in New Delhi and all the state capitals was completed peacefully, an election commission announcement said after the. Seven hour polling ended at 1700, hours ist (1130gmt).

Counting of votes will begin at 1130 hours Ist (0600gmt) in parliaments house on July 16 and the result is expected the same evening, the returning officer Sudarshan Agarwal, who is also Rajya Sabha (upper house) secretary general, told newsmen,

The ballot boxes from the state capitals are in the process of transit to New Delhi, the commission, said.

A total of 745 MPs out of an effective strength of 759 consisting 98 per cent exercised their franchise with 47 of them preferring to vote in the state capitals, Four MLAS from Orissa, Uttar

Pradesh cast their votes in parliament house. Meanwhile, the counting of votes for the presidential election will begin on July 19 and according to projections, Congress (I) nominee Shankar Dayal Sharma is poised to win by a comfortable margin.

All the ballot boxes from the states have already reached parliament house and the results are expected by Thursday evening.

The election have recorded almost 95% turn out in the states and 98% in the capital, The electoral bate will be mainly between the BJP-national Front nominee prof G.G.Swell and Sharma, The other candidate in the fray is Kaka Joginder Singh.

Although Sharma is a Congress nominee he also enjoys the support of the major Left Parties, the AIADMK, the Samajwadi Janata Party and several other smaller parties and groups.

While the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (IMM) had boycotted the election.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 24, 1992