The ruling NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudarshan Reddy for the Vice Presidential election are preparing to take a direct contest. The BJP -led coalition has a clear lead in this election, which was required due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Members of both houses of Parliament will vote in Parliament House from 10 am to 5 pm on Tuesday. The counting of votes will start at 6 pm and the results will be declared late in the evening.
Members of Parliament are not bound by the party whip to vote in the Vice Presidential election, this election is under the secret polling system.
The BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition group held separate meetings with their respective MPs on the eve of the election to make them aware of the election process and mock polls were also held.
MPs will be given ballot papers with the names of the candidates contesting two elections and they have to tell their priority by writing ‘1’ in front of the name of the candidate of their choice.
The rules of the Vice Presidential election stated, “The figures can be inscribed internationally or in the form of Roman or in any Indian language, but they will not be shown in words.”
The electoral college for the Vice Presidential election has a total of 788 members – 245 from Rajya Sabha and 543 Lok Sabha. 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election. Currently the number of electoral college is 781 as six seats in Rajya Sabha and one seat in Lok Sabha. Thus the majority figure is 391. The NDA has 425 MPs, while the opposition camp has the support of 324 MPs.
Among the ruling or opposition camp, the 11 -member YSRCP has decided to support the NDA candidate, while BRS and BJD have decided to stay away from voting in elections.
Radhakrishnan is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Tamil Nadu and the Governor of Maharashtra, while Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge from Telangana and is known for several important decisions, including a group of trained tribal youths posted as special police officers to deal with Naxalites as an illegal and unconstitutional.
The issue of Reddy’s Salwa Judum verdict made the campaign otherwise even more spicy for the Vice Presidential election, when Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that the 2011 decision was a setback for efforts to fight Maoism in Chhattisgarh.
The Vice Presidential election has been described by the opposition as an ideological battle, while the number force is in favor of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The NDA is presenting Radhakrishnan as a impeccable leader with rich political and administrative experience for the post of Vice President and saying that these qualities will also prove to be useful as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Radhakrishnan (67) during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he was a Lok Sabha member twice from Coimbatore and later led the saffron party in Tamil Nadu.
Reddy (79), who retired from the Supreme Court in July 2011, is a senior jurist, who is known for many historical decisions criticizing the then Central Government for laxity in the investigation into black money cases.
As a Judge of the Supreme Court, Reddy ordered the formation of a special investigation team to take all steps to bring back the illegally kept in bank accounts abroad. Prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, bringing back the black money deposited in foreign banks was a major election issue of BJP.
In a vigorous appeal to MPs before the Vice Presidential elections, Reddy told him on Sunday not to allow the party loyalty to become the guide of his election and said that by voting for them, they will ensure that the Rajya Sabha will be a true temple of democracy.
In a video message, Reddy told the MPs that this is not just a vote to choose the Vice President, but it is a vote for India’s spirit.
Radhakrishnan has met MPs of all states in groups and sought their support in elections since filed nomination papers on 20 August, while Reddy has visited various states and met leaders of opposition parties.
The BJP targeted Reddy’s meeting with RJD founder Lalu Prasad and accused the opposition candidate of meeting a person convicted in the scam.
The Congress -led India coalition is presenting Reddy as a constant and courageous supporter of social, economic and political justice. Reddy has a long and prestigious legal career, including judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court and acting as a judge of the Supreme Court. He also led the caste survey committee in Telangana.
