The election for the post of vice president will be held on August 6 and the result will be announced on the same day, the Election Commission said on Wednesday.
Vice president Venkaiah Naidu’s term is set to end on August 10.
While the notification for the poll to elect the 16th vice president will be issued on July 5, the last date for filing of nomination papers will be July 19, the EC said.
The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on July 20 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is July 22, it added.
Members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, form the electoral college for the vice presidential election. Thus, the electoral college consists of a total of 788 members – 233 elected members of Rajya Sabha, 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha and 543 elected members of Lok Sabha.
The secretary general of Lok Sabha has been appointed as the returning officer for the poll. The nomination paper of a candidate has to be “subscribed by at least twenty electors as proposers and by at least another twenty electors as seconders”, the poll body said in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}The secretary general of Lok Sabha has been appointed as the returning officer for the poll. The nomination paper of a candidate has to be “subscribed by at least twenty electors as proposers and by at least another twenty electors as seconders”, the poll body said in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}Since the voting will be held by secret ballot, the EC urged the electors to maintain the secrecy of the vote.
“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,” it said.
“For marking the vote, the commission will supply particular pens. The pen will be given to the electors in the polling station by the designated official when the ballot paper is handed over. Electors have to mark the ballot only with this particular pen and not with any other pen. Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting,” it added.
The Presidential election is slated to be held on July 18 and counting of votes on July 21.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance appears to be at an advantageous position in the race, given that the numbers are heavily stacked in favour of its nominee and former Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu.
The opposition has fielded former Union minister Yashwant Sinha for the poll.