Vice President of India election Process and Final Result

With the tenure of Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari coming to an end on August 10, if necessary, election for the post will be conducted on August 5.

Announcing the schedule on Thursday, the Election Commission said a notification to this effect would be issued on July 4. Contestants can file nominations till July 18, while the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is July 21. The counting will be done on August 5.

“An election to fill the vacancy to be caused by the expiration of the term of office of the outgoing Vice-President needs to be completed before the expiration of the term of the present incumbent. The law provides that the notification for election may be issued on, or as soon as conveniently may be after, the 60th day before the expiry of term of the office of the outgoing Vice-President,” said Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi.

The Vice-President is elected by the Electoral College consisting of members of both the Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation, by means of single transferable vote. The nominated members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are also eligible to participate in the election.

The Electoral College currently consists of 233 Rajya Sabha and 543 Lok Sabha members, besides two nominated members.

Dr. Zaidi said the Commission, in consultation with the Central government, has decided to appoint Secretary General to Rajya Sabha as Returning Officer for the poll. Assistant Returning Officers from among Rajya Sabha Secretariat officials would be appointed to assist the Returning Officer.

The nomination paper of a candidate has to be subscribed by at least 20 electors as proposers and at least another 20 electors as seconders. An elector can subscribe to only one nomination paper as either a proposer or seconder

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As the counting of votes to elect the 15th Vice-President of India ended, it emerged that M. Venkaiah Naidu, with 516 votes, had polled the highest number of votes for a vice-presidential candidate in 33 years.

In an election where 14 MPs eligible to vote failed to exercise their franchise, affecting the Opposition UPA the most, Mr. Naidu’s tally of votes also pointed to some amount of cross-voting in his favour.

The NDA polled 522 votes among MPs in the presidential polls last month. Of this number, 40 MPs, from the Biju Janata Dal and the Janata Dal (U) decided to shift their votes from the NDA to the Opposition candidate for the vice-presidential polls. That brought down the expected support base of the NDA candidate from 522 to 482.

However, during the presidential polls, 17 NDA MPs polled invalid votes. This time round, the number was down to 4, which led to an addition of 13 votes, taking the figure to 495. Added to this were 10 nominated members, most of whom were expected to vote for Mr Naidu. “Even so, we have got at least 17 unexpected votes from those who promised these to the Opposition,” a senior BJP leader said.

Party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav, in charge of the polls for the party and Mr. Naidu’s election agent, said that “it was because of meticulous planning and the determination of Prime Minister Modi that we were able to get all our MPs (except two who are ill in hospital) to vote.”

According to sources, two BJP MPs - Union Minister for Sports Vijay Goel and Rajasthan MP Sanwarlal Jat - could not make it to the polls because they were ill.

Indian Union Muslim League’s P. K. Kunhalikutty and Abdul Wahab turned up to vote at room number 63 of Parliament, but they could come only after the proceedings had been wrapped up. The two MPs said that their flight from Kerala had been inordinately delayed because of which they could not cast their vote.

Of the others who were missing, Trinamool Congress (TMC) had the largest block of absentees - MPs Kunal Ghosh, Pratima Mandal, Abhishek Banerjee and Tapas Pal did not vote. While Mr. Ghosh has been suspended from the party and the TMC had no comment to offer on his absence, Mr. Banerjee is in Hyderabad for an eye surgery and Ms. Mandal too pleaded a family emergency. Mr. Pal has been in jail and had been unable to arrange for any reprieve that would allow him to vote.

Two Congress MPs, Mausam Noor and Rani Nara, also did not vote, and there were no reasons offered on behalf of the Congress for their absence. “We will go into the reasons why the members could not make it,” leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

Anbumani Ramadoss of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Udayan Raje Bhonsale of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Naba Kumar Sarania (independent MP from Kokrajhar in Assam), and Anu Agha (nominated member) were also absent.