The Election Commission on Friday announced that that the election for the post of Vice President will be held on September 9 and the results will be declared on the same day. The poll body said that the notification for the vice presidential election will be issued on August 7 and the last date for filing nomination papers will be August 21.
The post of the vice president fell vacant after the resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 22.
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.
Who can become Vice President of India?
- To be elected vice president, a candidate must:
- He/she must be a citizen of India
- Must be at least 35 years of age
- Must be qualified to become a member of the Rajya Sabha
Can a former VP contest again?
It should be noted that the Constitution does not restrict the number of terms a person can serve as Vice-President. As per the Constitution, a former Vice-President is fully eligible to contest again, whether immediately after completing a term or after a gap.
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.
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Election for Vice President to be held on September 9, result on same day
