When is the Vice-Presidential polls? All you need to know

How is the polling conducted?

As per Article 66 of the Constitution of India, the Vice-President is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

For the 17th Vice-Presidential Election this year, the Electoral College comprises of a total of 782 members of both Houses of Parliament.

– 233 elected members of Rajya Sabha (Presently 05 seats are vacant),
– 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha, and
– 543 elected members of Lok Sabha (Presently 01 seat is vacant).

Since, all the electors are members of both Houses of Parliament, the value of vote of each Member of Parliament would be one, same for all.

The voting at such elections shall be done by a secret ballot. In this system, electors are required to mark their preferences against the names of the candidates. Preferences may be indicated using the international form of Indian numerals, Roman numerals, or any recognised Indian language. An elector can mark as many preferences as there are candidates. However, marking the first preference is mandatory for the ballot to be considered valid, other preferences are optional.

Votes must be marked using only the specific pen provided by the Presiding Officer at the polling station.
To be declared elected, a candidate must secure a minimum number of votes — known as the quota. This quota is calculated by dividing the total number of valid votes by two and adding one (any fractions are ignored). If no candidate reaches the quota in the first count, the one with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to the remaining candidates based on second preferences. This process continues until a candidate reaches the quota.

Who are the contenders?

The National Democratic Alliance has chosen Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election.

C P Radhakrishnan, a former Lok Sabha MP and former Governor of Jharkhand is credited for “laying the foundation of the party in the south” during his tenure as the Tamil Nadu BJP president from 2004 to 2007, according to sources.

The Opposition, on the other hand, has selected former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the September 9 Vice-Presidential election.

Justice Reddy, who retired in 2011, will be the first former Supreme Court judge to contest an election for the post of Vice-President. He had a five-year tenure in the top court, where he heard several onsequential judgments.

One of which was the Nandini Sundar versus State of Chhattisgarh in 2011 in which the top court banned the Salwa Judum militia, directing that the practice of using tribal youth as Special Police Officers to counter the Naxal insurgency be brought to an end.

Why are the polls being conducted?

The post of Vice President fell vacant on July 21, when Jagdeep Dhankhar submitted his resignation to the President citing health reasons. The sudden resignation came hours after he presided over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha.

While the government and the BJP have remained silent on the episode, sources say they were caught off guard by his decision to accept an Opposition-backed impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, even as the BJP was preparing to introduce one in the Lok Sabha.

From the homepage

Debris found in Srinagar’s Dal Lake could be from missile fired by Pakistan during Op Sindoor

Kolkata Rain Today Live Updates: Overnight rain paralyses normal life, 9 dead; IMD predicts more showers

71st National Film Awards 2025 LIVE Updates: Standing ovation for Mohanlal; loud cheers for Shah Rukh Khan as he accepts 1st national award