The election for the Vice President will be held on September 9th. The NDA has the advantage of a majority, while the opposition is looking for a b candidate. Nominations can be filed until August 21st.
Vice President Election: The election process for the Vice President, the second highest constitutional post in the country, has formally begun. Following the Election Commission's announcement of the election date as September 9th, a notification was issued on Thursday, initiating the nomination process.
Nomination and Election Dates
According to the Election Commission, the last date for filing nominations is August 21st. The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on August 22nd, while any candidate can withdraw their name until August 25th. After this, voting for the post of Vice President will take place on September 9th.
Post Vacant Due to Dhankhar's Resignation
On July 21st, the then Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar suddenly resigned citing health reasons. His term was until August 2027, but the resignation left the post vacant prematurely. According to the Constitution of India, if the term is cut short for any reason, the new Vice President gets a full five-year term.
Eligibility Criteria for Becoming a Candidate
To be a candidate for the post of Vice President, one must be a citizen of India and at least 35 years of age. Additionally, the individual should be qualified to be a member of the Rajya Sabha. A person holding any office of profit under the government or a state government is not eligible to be a candidate for this post.
NDA's Strong Position
Considering the NDA's position in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, it is clear that the NDA candidate can easily win this election. In the Lok Sabha, the NDA has the support of 293 MPs out of 542. In the Rajya Sabha too, the NDA has the support of 129 out of 240 effective members. If the nominated members also vote in favor of the NDA, the NDA will have the support of a total of 422 voters.
A total of 394 votes are needed to win. In such a situation, it is clear that the NDA's victory is almost certain.
INDIA Bloc's Strategy
However, the opposition is not far behind. The opposition alliance, INDIA Bloc, is planning to field a joint candidate, considering this election a matter of prestige. The opposition does not have sufficient numbers, but it is trying to send a political message.
The opposition is also alleging that Dhankhar resigned under pressure from the government. To give a political color to this issue, the opposition is looking for a b face for the post of Vice President. This election was discussed at the dinner meeting organized by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday.
Display of Unity in NDA
From the NDA's side, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) was the first to announce unconditional support in the Vice Presidential election. Eknath Shinde said that the partnership between BJP and Shiv Sena has been historic and b. Apart from this, allies like JDU and TDP are also active regarding the election and have confirmed their support.
Recently, a meeting was held between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and other prominent leaders, in which the Vice Presidential election and the upcoming state assembly elections were discussed. The NDA may announce the name of its candidate soon.
Election Process and Voting Details
The Vice President is elected by the members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This time, the total effective strength is 786, out of which 394 votes will be required. Only the Basirhat seat in Lok Sabha is vacant and five seats in Rajya Sabha are vacant, including four from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Punjab. If all eligible members vote, the majority figure will be 394.
The Punjab seat in Rajya Sabha became vacant due to the resignation of Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjeev Arora, who left this post after being elected to the state assembly.
Role and Tenure of the Vice President
The Vice President is the second highest constitutional post in the country. He is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The term is five years, but even after the term ends, he remains in office until the new Vice President takes oath. The post of Vice President often works to create a balance in national politics.
