Results of Vice Presidential Election will be will be declared by the evening after lawmakers cast their vote during the day in Parliament House.

Edited by Divyanshu Dutta Roy

M Venkaiah Naidu, the candidate of the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, is expected to be India’s next Vice President as Members of Parliament cast their vote today. Results will be declared by the evening after lawmakers cast their vote during the day in Parliament House. The 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 former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi against Mr Naidu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast their votes in Parliament

Here are 10 updates on Vice Presidential Election 2017:

“I am a non-party man. Majority of the political parties are supporting me. I am confident that they will vote in the polls,” Venkaiah Naidu told reporters this morning. “NDA’s pick is a very experienced person. My contest is not with him, though it’s on technical grounds. This election is not between 2 parties or individuals,” said Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition’s nominee.

Members of Parliament will use special pens for marking their choice in the election to be held between 10 am and 5 pm today.

The Biju Janata Dal and the Janta Dal (United) which had supported NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the post of president, have decided to back opposition’s nominee Mr Gandhi.

Though the JD(U) has broken ties with ‘mahagathbandhan’ and joined hands with the BJP to form a new government in Bihar, it will vote for Mr Gandhi, a former governor of West Bengal.

The counting of votes will commence after polling and the results will be declared by 7 pm, Election Commission officials said quoting precedents. The term of the incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, comes to an end on August 10.

No whip can be issued by political parties as the election is through a secret ballot.

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 245-member Rajya Sabha, the BJP has 58 members making it the single-largest party, while the Congress has 57.

The one who gets 50 per cent and one vote of the total valid votes cast will win the poll.