Stage set for V-P poll today

The stage is set for a high-stakes face-off in the vice-presidential election that will be held on Tuesday, with the ruling NDA alliance nominee, senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan against the Opposition INDIA bloc's candidate, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy.

- VINAY KUMAR

The contest is being seen as a direct battle between the two major political alliances and is likely to leave an imprint on the national politics.

Polling will be held in Parliament House between 10 am and 5 pm, with Members of Parliament casting their votes through a secret ballot. Counting will commence at 6 pm, and the results are expected to be declared the same evening, paving the way for the swearing-in of the country's new vice president.

The election was necessitated following the surprise resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar in July, citing health reasons.

The electoral college for the vice-presidential election comprises 781 MPs (238 from Rajya Sabha and 542 from Lok Sabha; one Lok Sabha and six Rajya Sabha seats are currently vacant). The majority mark is 391.

The NDA commands 425 MPs and also has the support of the YSR Congress Party (11 MPs), taking its tally to 436. The Opposition INDIA bloc is backed by 324 MPs.

Although the NDA is expected to win, a tight contest is on the cards and the margin this time is likely to be narrower than in 2022, when Jagdeep Dhankhar defeated Margaret Alva by 346 votes. Political analysts say the difference this time could be 100-125 votes.