• Source:JND
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VP Election: The election for the post of the Vice President of India is nearing, and the candidates are reaching out to the MPs to secure votes.

While the BJP has nominated Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as the NDA candidate, the opposition parties have pitted B Sudershan Reddy, a retired judge with no earlier political affiliation.

NDA has a majority to clinch an easy win; besides, Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP has also extended its support to the NDA candidate, further solidifying Radhakrishnan's position.

On the other hand, Reddy lacks numbers and hence has been emphasizing the non-partisan role of the office and his lack of political affiliations to garner cross-party votes.

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In a fervent appeal to all the Members of Parliament on Sunday, he reminded them about the nature of the election while urging them to vote for him.

Can MPs vote for another party's candidate?

The elections for the President and Vice President are meant to be a free and independent vote, not controlled by party lines. To ensure this, the Election Commission of India conducts polls with secret ballots, which means no MP can show their ballot paper to any other person and will have to vote secretly.

Moreover, the parties are barred from issuing a whip, unlike the voting process on bills and motions. Without whips, the MPs can vote for any candidate they want, irrespective of their party.

Reddy highlighted this, arguing that the love for the country must guide the choice above the loyalty to parties. In his 12-minute-long video message for members of Parliament, he said, "In this election, there is no party whip, and the ballot is secret. It is not loyalty to any political party, but love for the country that must guide your choice. Each one of you carry the moral responsibility to preserve the conscience, the soul of our beloved nation".

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"By entrusting me with this office, you will be choosing to defend parliamentary traditions, to restore dignity to debate, and to ensure that the Rajya Sabha stands as a true temple of democracy,” the former Supreme Court judge said.

(With PTI Inputs)