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Politics

India's Vice Presidential Election: Understanding the Process

Today’s election pits two candidates against each other: CP Radhakrishnan from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and B Sudershan Reddy from the Opposition.

  • Nidarshana Sarma

Nidarshana Sarma

The voting process will conclude at 5 pm, followed by vote counting at 6 pm. Photograph: (x)
The voting process will conclude at 5 pm, followed by vote counting at 6 pm. Photograph: (x)

As India holds its Vice Presidential election today, let's delve into the intricacies of the electoral process.

Who Elects the Vice President of India?

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The Vice President is elected by an electoral body comprising members of both Houses of Parliament, including nominated members. The voting process follows the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, where members rank candidates in order of preference.

How Does the Electoral Body for Vice President Differ from that of the President?

A key distinction lies in the composition of the electoral body. Unlike the Presidential election, which involves only elected members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies, the Vice Presidential election includes nominated members of Parliament. Additionally, State Legislative Assemblies do not participate in the Vice Presidential election.

Eligibility Criteria for Vice President

To be eligible for the office of Vice President, an individual must:

Be a citizen of India

Be at least 35 years old

Be eligible for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha

The Vice President serves a five-year term and is eligible for re-election.

Key Functions of the Vice President

The Vice President plays a crucial role in India's governance, with two primary functions:

1) Serving as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha

2) Assuming the office of the President when the incumbent is unable to discharge their duties or during a vacancy in the President's office, until a new President is elected.

Today’s election pits two candidates against each other: CP Radhakrishnan from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and B Sudershan Reddy from the Opposition. Notably, several prominent parties, including BRS, BJD, and Shiromani Akali Dal, have chosen to abstain from voting.

The voting process will conclude at 5 pm, followed by vote counting at 6 pm. The outcome of the election will be declared later in the evening.

This election was necessitated by the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, the previous Vice President, who stepped down citing health reasons on July 21.