India is set to elect its next Vice President tomorrow, with voting and counting scheduled to take place on the same day in Parliament House. The Election Commission will oversee the proceedings, and results are expected shortly after the polls close.
The Vice President’s post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on July 21, the inaugural day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session.
Polling Date and Venue
The Vice Presidential election will be held on September 9, inside the Parliament House complex. Voting is set to take place between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, followed by counting at 6:00 PM.
Members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will cast their votes throughout the day, with the final tally and result announcement to follow soon after under the Returning Officer’s supervision.
Key Contenders: Radhakrishnan vs. Reddy
The race for Vice President features a direct contest between National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, CP Radhakrishnan, who is a senior BJP leader and current Governor of Maharashtra.
He will be facing Justice (Retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy, who is being backed by the opposition INDIA bloc. The outcome will depend on votes from both Houses of Parliament, determined via proportional representation and the single transferable vote system.
Voting Process And Parliament Majority
According to Article 66 of the Indian Constitution, the Vice President is elected by an electoral college made up entirely of MPs from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Each member votes by secret ballot, ranking candidates in order of preference to ensure fair representation.
With the NDA and coalition partners commanding a clear majority of 423 MPs (293 Lok Sabha, 130 Rajya Sabha), C.P. Radhakrishnan enters the contest with a significant edge over the opposition. The INDIA bloc, though unified behind Reddy, faces hurdles in marshalling support, given its diverse composition.
Votes are cast using the single transferable vote system as part of which each MP ranks candidates and votes are redistributed until a candidate achieves the required majority quota. Around 782 MPs (543 Lok Sabha, 233 elected, 12 nominated Rajya Sabha members) will participate this year, ensuring every vote holds weight in the outcome.
The process is strictly monitored under Rule 8 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, guaranteeing transparency and fairness.
BJP, Shiv Sena Hold Strategic Meetings
The Bharatiya Janata Party convened the final session of its two-day strategic workshop for MPs at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium on Monday, designed to improve party messaging and coordination among its lawmakers ahead of the crucial vote.
The session, running from 3 pm to 6 pm, aims to provide guidance and reinforce party messaging ahead of the crucial election. The event follows a significant gathering on Sunday attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where the workshop passed a resolution backing the Centre’s sweeping Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms endorsed by the GST Council on September 3.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Parliamentary leader Shrikant Shinde summoned all of his party MPs for a briefing at his Delhi residence, ensuring everyone is informed about the voting process and necessary protocols. A meeting with the MPs was held at his residence at 12:30 PM on September 8.
Shinde has been closely monitoring the election process and has already briefed Shiv Sena MPs on voting procedures for the upcoming poll.
