Vice presidential election today

The stage is set for a direct contest between ruling NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy for Tuesday’s vice-presidential election, with the BJP-led alliance having a clear edge in the poll necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Members of both Houses of Parliament will cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 AM and 5 PM on Tuesday. Counting votes will begin at 6 PM, and the results will be announced late evening.
Members of Parliament are not bound by party whips to vote in the vice presidential election, which takes place under a secret ballot system.
The BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition grouping held separate meetings with their respective MPs on poll eve to sensitise them about the election process and also held mock polls.
The MPs will be handed out ballot papers containing the names of the two contesting candidates and will have to mark their preference by writing the figure ‘1’ opposite the name of the candidate of their choice.
“The figures may be marked in the international form of Indian numerals or in the Roman form or in the form used in any Indian language but shall not be indicated in words,” the rules of the vice presidential election state.
The electoral college for the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members – 245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election.
The present strength of the electoral college is 781 as six seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha. This puts the majority mark at 391.