New Delhi: Opposition candidate for the vice presidential election Margaret Alva on Tuesday filed her nomination papers at Parliament.
She filed her nomination papers in the presence of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and other Opposition leaders.
Margaret Alva will be up against the NDA candidate, Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The term of the current Vice-President, M Venkaiah Naidu, ends on August 10. A former BJP president and union minister, Mr Naidu won comfortably in 2017.
Vice president M Venkaiah Naidu’s term ends on August 10 and his successor will take charge during Parliament’s Monsoon Session and preside over the Upper House as its chairperson.
Only Parliamentarians, including the nominated ones, can vote in the election for the vice-president. The electoral college for it comprises 788 members. They include 233 elected and 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha, as well as 543 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament.
The voting will be held by secret ballot and showing votes to anyone in the case of Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections is prohibited.
The Election Commission of India will provide particular pens for marking the vote. Electors cannot mark ballots with any other pen. Voting by any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote.
