NEW DELHI: Voting for the vice presidential election began on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first to cast his ballot.
The election is a direct contest between the ruling NDA’s candidate C P Radhakrishnan and the joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy. The BJP-led alliance holds a clear advantage in the race, which was called following the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Early voters included Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Kiren Rijiju. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav also participated in the voting.
Members of both Houses of Parliament will cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 AM and 5 PM. Counting is scheduled to begin at 6 PM, with results expected later in the evening.
The vice presidential election is conducted via a secret ballot, and MPs are not required to follow party whips while voting.
The electoral college for the vice presidential poll consists of 788 members—245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha. This includes 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha who are eligible to vote.
Currently, the strength of the electoral college stands at 781, with six Rajya Sabha seats and one Lok Sabha seat vacant. The majority mark is 391. The NDA has the support of 425 MPs, while the opposition has 324 backing members.
