NDA eyeing for an easy win in Vice President election

With the Vice Presidential election just around the corner, the Opposition unity does not appear to be impregnable for NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday visited Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi. Despite Banerjee saying the visit centred around national projects in the state, sources close to the CM said she has extended Trinamool's indirect support to Dhankhar.

New Delhi:The ruling NDA (National Democratic Alliance) is confident of winning the Vice-Presidential election on Saturday as many of the opposition parties have already expressed their “indirect support” to Jagdeep Dhankhar. Interestingly, days after announcing her party’s decision to abstain from the polling, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Although Mamata, in a note, said that during her meeting she has requested Prime Minister Modi to release the pending central funds for several national projects in the State, sources close to the CM told ETV Bharat that her meeting has further substantiated TMC’s indirect support to the NDA candidate.

Earlier, TMC has said that the party would abstain from voting alleging lack of consultations while deciding on the name of opposition candidate Margaret Alva. Polling for the Vice-Presidential election will be held from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and the ballots will be counted immediately after that.

It is expected that by late Saturday evening, the returning officer will announce the name of the next vice president. Members of both the Houses of the Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as well as nominated members, are eligible to vote in the Vice Presidential poll. The electoral college in the Vice Presidential election comprises a total of 788 members of both Houses of Parliament.

The term of incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10. In the Vice President election, a candidate must secure at least 393 votes out of 788, which is the combined strength of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Apart from elected members of both the Houses of Parliament nominated members such as from the Anglo-Indian can also participate in the poll process. The NDA has 348 in Lok Sabha (BJP's 303) and 117 in Rajya Sabha (BJP's 98 seats).

In the Lok Sabha, Opposition has 194 seats including UPA's 194. The TMC which falls in the non-aligned groups has 53 seats in the Lower House. The opposition has 124 seats in Rajya Sabha including UPA's 50, non-aligned groups 74 including TMC's 13.