Preparations for the Vice Presidential election are intensifying, with the voting set for September 9th. Polling will be conducted from 10 am to 5 pm, and vote counting will commence at 6 pm, with results expected by the evening. The NDA has nominated C.P. Radhakrishnan, while the India bloc has put forward B. Sudarshan Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court.
MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated Rajya Sabha members, will participate in the Vice Presidential election. There will be no whip issued, and the voting will be a secret ballot, allowing MPs to exercise their voting rights freely. However, votes tend to align with party lines, although cross-voting is a possibility as well.
The NDA is closely monitoring every single vote. With 239 members in the Rajya Sabha and 542 in the Lok Sabha, a candidate needs 391 votes to win. The NDA currently has 425 MPs and anticipates gaining additional votes from other parties. The YSRCP has announced its support for the NDA, which will add 7 Rajya Sabha and 4 Lok Sabha MPs to the NDA’s tally, bringing the total to 436. The BJP is also hoping for the support of Aam Aadmi Party’s Swati Maliwal.
The BJD has not yet revealed its stand. The BRS has decided to abstain from voting in the Vice Presidential election. However, the BJD could potentially support the NDA. BJD leader Naveen Patnaik is currently in Delhi and may be discussing support for the NDA with BJP leaders. The BRS has 4 Rajya Sabha MPs, while the BJD has 7.
Concerning the opposition, the voting intentions of three of the seven independent Lok Sabha members are uncertain. The position of the Akali Dal, ZPM, and VOTTP, with one MP each, also remains unclear. The opposition currently has 324 votes, and the winning margin could range between 100 and 125 votes.
In the previous election in 2022, Jagdeep Dhankhar defeated Margaret Alva by a margin of 346 votes. The margin of victory is expected to be narrower this time due to the opposition’s stronger position.
To ensure that every vote is valid and to prevent any votes from being disqualified, both the NDA and the India bloc are providing training and mock polling for their MPs. Sources within the NDA indicate that around 150 votes are expected against the opposition’s candidate in the Rajya Sabha, and less than 90 votes are expected for the opposition.