 "Vice-Presidential Election 2017: Voting to take place on Saturday, results to be out in the evening")
New Delhi: NDA candidate M Venkaiah Naidu is tipped to be India’s next Vice-President as members of Parliament gear up to cast their ballot on Saturday. The name of the next Vice-President of India will be known Saturday evening after members of Parliament cast their ballot during the day in Parliament House. The ruling NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha, will find it easy to place its candidate as the next vice president. The opposition has fielded Gopal Krishna Gandhi against Naidu. [caption id=“attachment_3892531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File images of M Venkaiah Naidu and Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Image courtesy: Firstpost/Naresh Sharma and News18[/caption] The BJD and the JD(U) which had supported NDA nominee Ramnath Kovind for the post of president, have decided to back opposition nominee Gandhi. Though the JD(U) has broken ties with Mahagathbandhan and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in Bihar, it has decided to vote for Gandhi, a former governor of West Bengal. Members of Parliament will use special pens for marking their choice in the election to be held between 10 am and 5 pm. The counting of votes will commence after polling and the results will be declared by 7 pm, Election Commission officials said quoting precedents. No whip can be issued by political parties as the election is through a secret ballot. The term of the present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, is coming to an end on 10 August.
The electoral college which elects the vice-president, who is also the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, consists of elected and nominated members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The total strength of the two Houses is 790, but there are two vacancies in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. BJP MP in Lok Sabha Chhedi Paswan is barred from casting vote following a judicial pronouncement. In the 545-member Lok Sabha, the BJP has 281 members. The NDA led by BJP, has 338 members. In the 243-member Rajya Sabha, the BJP as of now has 58 members , while the Congress with 57 is the second-largest party. With its recent wins in the recent assembly polls, the BJP is set to grow its number even more in the upper house. The one who bags 50 per cent plus one vote of the total valid votes cast will win the poll.
