Several opposition party leaders met in the Parliament complex on Monday as a sign of unity ahead of the vice presidential election.
Top leaders from Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, RJD, JMM, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), CPI, and CPI-M gathered in the central hall of Samvidhan Sadan, also known as the Old Parliament Building, on Tuesday. They were given an overview of the election process, which includes voting rights for members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
While SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav greeted everyone present, Congress leader and chief whip of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, explained the process for voting to the MPs. The opposition has called the vice-presidential election an ideological fight, even though the numbers show the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is in a strong position.
Sources said the Opposition MPs were told to ensure their vote is not wasted, as some votes were declared invalid last time. The MPs also participated in a mock poll for Tuesday's election to enable MPs to experience the voting process.
Members of Parliament are not bound by party whips to vote in the vice presidential election, which takes place under a secret ballot system.
The MPs will receive ballot papers that list the names of the two candidates who are running. They will need to show their choice by writing the number '1' next to the name of the candidate they prefer. The meeting held in Samvidhan Sadan had several leaders in attendance, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, and DMK leader T R Baalu.
At the same time, the NDA also had a meeting with their MPs to explain the election process to them. The members also took part in a practice vote. The main opposition party in Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), said that its members of parliament will not vote in the vice presidential elections. The party, led by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said the decision was made as part of its policy to stay equally distant from both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA group at the national level.
On Sunday, AIMIM decided to support the opposition candidate in the election.
Ruling NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy are pitted against each other in a direct contest for the vice-presidential election. The BJP-led alliance has a clear edge in the poll necessitated by the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.
Members of both Houses of Parliament will cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 AM and 5 PM on Tuesday. Counting of votes will begin at 6 pm, and the results will be announced late in the evening.
Also Read: BJD MPs to skip voting in vice-presidential polls
The electoral college for choosing the vice president has 788 members in total. Out of these, 245 are from the Rajya Sabha and 543 are from the Lok Sabha. The 12 members who have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha can also take part in the election voting.
The current total strength of the electoral college is 781 because there are six vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha and one vacant seat in the Lok Sabha. This puts the majority mark at 391. The NDA has 425 members of Parliament, and the opposition group has support from 324 members.
Some political parties that are not part of the ruling group or the main opposition group have made their choices. The YSRCP, which has 11 members in the Parliament, has chosen to back the candidate from the NDA. On the other hand, the BRS and the BJD have decided not to vote in the election.
The NDA candidate and experienced BJP leader comes from Tamil Nadu and is the Governor of Maharashtra, while Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge from Telangana.
Also Read: VP election: Opposition MPs to practice with 'mock poll'
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