- Voting for the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning, with results expected after 6 pm
- The NDA has fielded CP Radhakrishnan, while the INDIA bloc backs former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy.
- With 425 MPs in its camp against the opposition’s 324 in the 781-member electoral college, the NDA holds a clear majority, making Radhakrishnan’s win almost certain.
Voting for the Vice Presidential election began at 10 am on Tuesday, with results scheduled to be announced after 6 pm the same day.
The BJP-led NDA has fielded Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate, while the opposition INDIA bloc is backing former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy. Parties including the Biju Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samiti, Shiromani Akali Dal and Waaris Punjab De are unlikely to participate in the voting process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his ballot as polling opened. NDA MPs were earlier trained on the postal ballot process, while members of both Houses are casting votes through a secret ballot using the single transferable vote system.
In the electoral college of 781 MPs, the NDA holds the support of 425 lawmakers compared to the opposition’s 324, making Radhakrishnan’s victory all but assured. The majority mark required is 391.
Several senior leaders cast their votes during the day, including Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP HD Deve Gowda.
The vice president serves as the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, responsible for maintaining order and procedure in the Rajya Sabha. However, he/she is not a member of either House of Parliament or any state legislature.