Explained: How is the Vice Presidential election conducted in India?

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs have begun casting their votes to choose the new Vice President with NDA nominee Jagdeep Dhankar all set to romp home comfortably with the numbers in the electoral college overwhelmingly in his favour against joint Opposition candidate Margaret Alva.

With eight vacancies in Rajya Sabha, a total of 780 MPs -- 543 in Lok Sabha and 237 in Rajya Sabha -- are eligible to vote to choose M Venkaiah Naidu’s successor, who will also be the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

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Here’s a look at the proces:

- Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, are eligible to vote in the vice presidential poll.

- This time, the electoral college in the vice presidential election comprises a total of 780 members of both Houses of Parliament.

- Since all the electors are members of both Houses of Parliament, the value of vote of each MP would be the same -- one.

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- The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote and the voting at such election is by secret ballot.

- There is no concept of open voting in this election and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances in the case of presidential and vice-presidential elections is totally prohibited, the EC has cautioned, adding that parties cannot issue whip to its MPs in the matter of voting.

- Unlike the presidential poll—where voting takes place in multiple locations as elected MLAs, not nominated, also form part of the electoral college—in the vice presidential election, voting takes place in Parliament House.

- While polling will be held from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday, the ballots will be counted immediately after that.

- To decide the winner, first the total number of first-choice votes each candidate got is calculated. Then the total is divided by two, and one is added to the quotient, disregarding any remainder. The result is the quota required for a candidate to win.

- By late Saturday evening, the returning officer will announce the name of the next Vice President.

(With agency inputs.)