Notification for vice president's election issued; nomination process begins

New Delhi: Kickstarting the Vice President election process, the Election Commission on Thursday issued a notification for the September 9 polls, identifying August 21 as the last date of nominations.

The nomination papers will be scrutinised at 11 am on August 22 while the last date for the withdrawal of nominations will be August 25. The seat fell vacant due to the dramatic resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar last month, the Election Commission notification said.

A second notification said the polling would be held in Room No F-101, Vasudha, First Floor, Parliament House.

This will be the first time a Vice Presidential poll will be held in the new Parliament building—such elections in the past were held in Committee Rooms 62 or 63 of the Old Parliament building—and the counting of votes will be held soon after the polling ends.

A public notice posted on the gazette by the Office of the Returning Officer said every candidate shall deposit Rs 15,000 with the Returning Officer at the time of presentation of the nomination paper or a receipt showing it is deposited in the RBI or in a Government Treasury.

The nomination papers can be obtained from Room No RS-28, First Floor, Parliament House from the Returning Officer or Assistant Returning Officers between 11 am and 3 pm on any day on or before August 21.

Each nomination paper shall be accompanied by a certified copy of the entry relating to the candidate in the electoral roll for the Parliamentary constituency in which the candidate is registered as an elector, the notification said.

The notice for withdrawal of candidatures may be delivered by a candidate, or any one of his proposers or seconders who has been authorised in this behalf in writing by the candidate, before 3 pm on August 25 and in the event of the election being contested, the poll will be taken on September 9 between 10 am and 5 pm.

A person cannot be elected as the Vice President unless he is a citizen of India, has completed 35 years of age and is qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha. A person is also not eligible if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or a state government or any subordinate local authority.

The electoral college consists of 788 MPs but at present its strength is only 782, owing to five vacancies in Rajya Sabha and one in Lok Sabha. At present, the NDA has a clear edge in the electoral college with 427 in its support and the Opposition with at least 323, including 12 AAP MPs who are not part of I.N.D.I.A. There are around 30 other MPs who are not aligned to NDA or I.N.D.I.A.