A high-stakes election is set for September 9 as members of Parliament vote to elect the new Vice-President of India.
The contest is between ruling NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan and opposition nominee, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy. Both parties are holding meetings to secure support for their respective candidates ahead of the crucial vote.
The election follows the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar during the monsoon session of Parliament, forcing both treasury and opposition benches into a vote they had not anticipated. The outcome, while not directly altering legislative power, holds strategic importance ahead of the upcoming Bihar polls and for control of the Rajya Sabha, where the Vice-President serves as ex-officio Chairman.
The Vice-President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of all members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, both elected and nominated. Voting is conducted via pink ballot papers using a system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote. Electors indicate preferences by marking figures 1, 2, 3, and so on against the candidates’ names using specific pens provided at polling stations.
With only MPs eligible to vote and each vote carrying equal value, tomorrow’s election is being closely watched as a key indicator of political influence in the upper house of Parliament.