• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

VP Election: K Chandrasekhar Rao led-Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election to be held on Tuesday, stated the party’s working president KT Rama Rao said on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said it will abstain from voting and asserted that the party remains "equidistant" from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc.

India is set to get a new Vice President as the voting for the office is set to take place in the Parliament on Tuesday. The VP will be elected by all the MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, called the Electoral College, based on a secret ballot. One of the features of the voting that makes it different from that of motions and bills is that parties can't issue whips in these elections, making room for cross-voting across party lines. Despite this, no major shift is expected in tomorrow's voting, as NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan is eyeing an easy win against the Opposition's pick, B Sudrershan Reddy, as the coalition has numbers.

“The decision was taken at a meeting of party president and former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao with party leaders,” KTR said, as quoted by a Hindustan Times report. The decision has been conveyed to the party’s Rajya Sabha MPs who have been told to stay away from the polling, he added.

ALSO READ: Bengal Weather: Thunderstorms To Hit Kolkata; Heavy Rain In Northern Districts This Week | Forecast

How Do Numbers Stack Up?

The total strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245, including 12 nominated members, and of the Lok Sabha is 543. This takes the total strength of the Parliament to 788.

ALSO READ: Weather Update: IMD Warns Of Heavy Rain In Next 48 Hours; Gujarat On Red, Rajasthan On Yellow Alert | Forecast

Generally, this makes up the Electoral College, but for the 2025 VP elections, the strength of the Electoral College is 781, as 6 seats in the Rajya Sabha and 1 seat in the Lok Sabha are vacant.

To win the election, a candidate has to secure at least 391 votes. The BJP alone has 340 votes (MPs), but its coalition number is 425 votes (MPs), sufficient for Radhakrishnan's victory.