The nomination process for the September 9 poll to elect the next vice president began on Thursday with the Election Commission issuing a notification.
According to the notification, August 21 is the last date for filing nominations and the documents will be scrutinised on August 22.
August 25 is the last date for the withdrawal of nomination.
The vice president’s post fell vacant on July 21 following the surprise resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who cited health reasons for his decision. His term 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.
A person cannot be elected as the vice president unless he is a citizen of India, has completed 35 years of age and is qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
A person is also not eligible if he holds any office of profit under the government of India or a state government or any subordinate local authority.
The ruling NDA has a comfortable edge in the vice presidential elections.
The vice president is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, with nominated members of the Upper House also eligible to vote.
The 543-member Lok Sabha has one vacant seat — Basirhat in West Bengal — while there are six vacancies in the 245-member Rajya Sabha.
Of the six vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, four are from Jammu and Kashmir, and one each from Punjab and Jharkhand. The seat from Punjab fell vacant after AAP leader Sanjeev Arora quit following his election to the state assembly in a byelection last month.