EC begins Vice President election process: Where NDA stands - here's the math

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday said it has begun the process to conduct the election for the next vice president, two days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post, citing health reasons. His tenure was originally scheduled to end on August 10, 2027.

The commission said it had initiated steps to constitute the electoral college comprising members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and was finalising the appointment of returning officers. "On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule to the office of the Vice President of India will follow as soon as possible," the poll body said.

The vice president is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament, including nominated members of the Rajya Sabha. Voting is by secret ballot under the system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote method.

According to Article 68(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the vice president “shall be held as soon as possible” after the vacancy arises. The elected candidate will serve a full five-year term from the date of assuming office, irrespective of the residual tenure of their predecessor.

The resignation of Dhankhar on Monday evening - just over halfway through his term - has set the stage for a new vice presidential election. He had submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu with immediate effect, citing medical reasons.

The ruling NDA has a clear numerical advantage in the electoral college. The Lok Sabha currently has 542 members, after one vacancy in Basirhat, West Bengal. The Rajya Sabha has 240 eligible voters, factoring in five vacancies - four from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Punjab, vacated by Sanjeev Arora.

With 293 members in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP-led NDA commands the support of 422 MPs out of the effective 786-member electoral college - comfortably above the 394 votes required to win.

Under Article 66(1), the election is held through proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote and voting is by secret ballot. Voters mark their preferences against candidates’ names.

The vice president is the second-highest constitutional office in India and also serves as the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

(With inputs from PTI)