New Delhi: The Opposition MPs will be briefed on Monday on the procedure to vote in the September 9 vice-presidential poll. After the briefing on the procedure to vote in the V-P election, a “mock poll” will be conducted in the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan at around 2.30 pm.
Later in the evening, i.e., a day before voting for the vice-presidential election, Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was to host a dinner for the INDIA bloc MPs at the Parliament annexe. However, the dinner has been cancelled due to the prevailing flood situation in the country.
The V-P election is a direct contest between the ruling NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan and the joint Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy on September 9. Both candidates this time hail from southern India. Mr Radhakrishnan is from Tamil Nadu and Mr Reddy is from Telangana.
The vice-presidential election has been described by the Opposition as an ideological battle, even as the numbers are stacked in favour of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Rajya Sabha secretary-general P.C. Mody, who is the returning officer for the vice-presidential election, has said that the polling will take place on Tuesday in Room No. F-101, Vasudha, Parliament House.
The polling will commence at 10 am and close at 5 pm on September 9. “The electoral college for election to the office of the vice-president of India consists of the members of both the Houses of Parliament. The nominated members of Rajya Sabha are also eligible to be included in the electoral college and, therefore, are entitled to participate in the election.
“The polling arrangements in Parliament House are being made by the returning officer for the vice-presidential election 2025,” the statement from the Rajya Sabha secretariat said. “The counting of votes will commence at 6 pm on the same day and the result will be declared immediately thereafter,” it said.
For the 17th vice-presidential election, the electoral college consists of 233 elected members of the Rajya Sabha (five seats are currently vacant), 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (one seat is currently vacant).
The electoral college comprises a total of 788 members (781 presently). The Congress-led Opposition is projecting Mr Reddy as a consistent and courageous champion of social, economic and political justice.