Voting for the Vice Presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, with results expected by evening. Two candidates are in the running: CP Radhakrishnan, representing the NDA, and B Sudarshan Reddy, a former Supreme Court Justice, representing the INDIA alliance. The election hinges on their competition, and the winner will assume the Vice Presidency. Understanding the vote calculations is crucial before the election.
The Lok Sabha has 542 members, and the Rajya Sabha has 239, totaling 781 voting MPs. A winning candidate needs 391 votes. However, excluding the BJD of Naveen Patnaik and the BRS of K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the effective voting strength is 770, as they’ve chosen to abstain.
Consequently, a candidate needs 386 votes to win. The NDA has 425 MPs, and with the support of Jagan Reddy’s party (11 MPs), their count reaches 436. The INDIA bloc has 324 MPs, creating a 112-vote gap.
Uncertainty exists regarding the 10 independent or dissenting MPs, including Swati Maliwal and Girdhari Lal Yadav, whose voting intentions are unclear. Given these figures, the NDA candidate seems poised for an easy victory.
Shiromani Akali Dal to Boycott Election
The Shiromani Akali Dal has announced a boycott of the Vice Presidential election. They stated in a written release that Punjab faces severe floods, with neither the state nor central government providing support. Therefore, respecting the people of Punjab’s sentiments, the Akali Dal believes in standing with them, not participating in elections, during this time.