Vice-Presidential Poll Live Updates: Parliamentarians to vote today, numbers stacked in NDA’s candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar’s favour

Vice-Presidential Poll Live: While NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar has served as West Bengal governor, opposition nominee Margaret Alva is a Congress veteran and has served as governor of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi |
Updated: August 6, 2022 7:43:58 am
Vice-Presidential Poll Live: Jagdeep Dhankhar and Margaret Alva (Photo: Twitter@narendramodi and PTI)

Vice-Presidential Poll Live: As the term of incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10, members of both Houses of Parliament will vote to elect the next Vice-President of India on Saturday. While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its vice-presidential candidate, Opposition parties have nominated The polling to elect the New Vice President of India will take place at Parliament House in New Delhi, between 10 AM & 5 PM after which counting of votes will begin.

With support from regional parties like the Janata Dal (United), YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK and Shiv Sena, Dhankhar, is set for an easy win with over 515 votes. Alva is likely to get over 200 votes with the backing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).  The Opposition camp is evidently divided once again. The Trinamool Congress (TMC), the second largest Opposition party, after the Congress in Parliament with 39 MPs in both the Houses, has decided to abstain from the Saturday vote. TMC pointed out that it had “not been consulted” on Alva’s candidature. It is to be seen whether the Opposition will be hit again by cross-voting like what was witnessed in the Presidential election last month.

While the 80-year-old Alva is a Congress veteran and has served as governor of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, Dhankhar, 71, is a Jat leader from Rajasthan with a socialist background. Since July 2019, when he was appointed by the BJP-ruled Centre as the Bengal Governor, Dhankhar has been at loggerheads with the TMC government on a range of issues.

Live Blog

Vice-Presidential Poll Live Updates: NDA's Jagdeep Dhankhar, Oppn's Margaret Alva gear up for a face off; Follow latest updates here

07:38 (IST)06 Aug 2022
Vice-Presidential election: Numbers stacked in NDA’s candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar’s favour

With support from regional parties like the Janata Dal (United), YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK and Shiv Sena, Jagdeep Dhankhar, is set for an easy win with over 515 votes. Opposition's Margaret Alva is likely to get over 200 votes with the backing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).  

07:33 (IST)06 Aug 2022
NDA's Jagdeep Dhankhar, Oppn's Margaret Alva gear up for a face off

While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its vice-presidential candidate, Opposition parties have nominated 

07:24 (IST)06 Aug 2022
Parliamentarians to vote for India's next Vice-President today

As the term of incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10, members of both Houses of Parliament will vote to elect the next Vice-President of India on Saturday. The Polling to elect the New Vice President of India will take place at Parliament House in New Delhi, between 10 AM & 5 PM after which counting of votes will begin.

07:10 (IST)06 Aug 2022
Welcome to The Indian Express live blog

Good morning! Welcome to today's Indian Express live blog on the Vice-Presidential election. Members of both Houses of Parliament will vote to elect India's next Vice-President today. Stay tuned

NDA’s candidate for Vice President’s post Jagdeep Dhankhar, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

In a fresh video message ahead of the polls, Alva said: "If Parliament is to function effectively, MPs, independent of their parties, must find ways to rebuild trust and restore broken communication amongst each other. In the end, it is the MPs who determine the character of our Parliament."

The Vice-President also serves as the chairperson of Rajya Sabha. The electoral college in the Vice-Presidential election comprises a total of 788 members of both Houses of Parliament.

Unlike the Presidential election in which voting takes place in multiple locations as elected MLAs, not nominated, also form part of the electoral college, in the Vice-Presidential election, polling takes place only in Parliament House.

Since all the electors are members of both Houses of Parliament, the value of vote of each MP would be the same, which is, one, the Election Commission has said.

Also read | Why Mayawati is supporting Dhankhar

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First published on: 06-08-2022 at 07:00:05 am
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