The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued a notification for the upcoming Vice Presidential election, scheduled to be held on September 9, officially beginning the nomination process. According to the notification, August 21 is the last date for filing nominations, while the documents will be scrutinised on August 22. August 25 is the last date to withdraw from the electoral battle.
The election was necessitated due to an abrupt resignation by Jagdeep Dhankhar. Dhankhar wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu and cited his deteriorating health as a reason for relinquishing the key post. His tenure was to end in August 2027.
According to constitutional provisions, in case of a mid-term poll, the incumbent gets a full five-year term.
How is the Vice President of India elected?
As per the provision of the Constitution, the Vice President is elected through an indirect election conducted by an electoral college comprising elected and nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The election for the Vice President is conducted in accordance with the proportional representation system and uses a single transferable vote.
All of the members of both Houses of Parliament vote in the Electoral College to choose the vice president. Voting is done by the secret ballot, using the single transferable vote system of proportional representation. The members of the electoral college are not bound by any party whip.
For the vice president’s election, states have no role to play unlike in the presidential polls, where elected members of state legislative assemblies are part of the electoral college.
Vice Presidential Election: Check number game here
As the Vice President is elected by members of Parliament, the NDA can comfortably get its candidate elected. The current strength of the two Houses stands at 786, factoring in six vacancies. Assuming that there will be 100% turnout, a candidate will need 394 votes to win. In this context the NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, giving it a combined strength of 422 votes — well above the required figure.
Also Read: Election for Vice President to be held on September 9, result on same day
Also Read: How is the Vice President of India elected? Here's a simple breakdown of the entire process
