Counting of votes in the Presidential polls began at 11 am on Thursday.

NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu, who has the numbers heavily tilted towards her, appears on track to become India’s first Adivasi president, besides the first to be born in independent India.

A range of Opposition parties have grouped together to pit former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, but he does not have the support of all non-NDA parties.

Ruling NDA's Draupadi Murmu and Opposition's Yashwant Sinha are pitted against each other in the contest, with votes clearly stacked in favour of Murmu, who, if elected, will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post in the country.

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Meanwhile, Ram Nath Kovind's tenure is ending on July 24 and the new president will take oath on July 25.

Polling for the presidential election was held on Monday (July 18) at 31 locations, including the Parliament House and 30 centres within state legislative assemblies. The contest is between BJP-led NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu and the Opposition’s Yahswant Sinha, with the former having a clear edge over the latter.

According to the EC, the election was concluded successfully in a free, fair and transparent manner. Over 99 per cent of the total 4,796 electors cast their votes in the presidential poll, while 10 states and the Union Territory of Puducherry recorded a turnout of 100 per cent.