V-P poll: Nearly 96 per cent turnout by 3 pm

B. Sudershan Reddy, the Opposition INDIA bloc candidate for the vice-presidential election, on Tuesday emphasised that his campaign is about upholding the Constitution.

“I am only trying to awaken the conscience of the people. This is a fight for the Constitution; it will continue. I thank the people for the love I got and the response of the civil society,” Reddy said, signalling his commitment to constitutional values and appealing to public conscience amid the ongoing election.

The statement comes as voting is underway in the New Parliament Building in New Delhi, with Reddy contesting against NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan in a crucial poll necessitated by the resignation of former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Brisk voting was witnessed on Tuesday as members of Parliament cast their ballots in the high-stakes vice-presidential election, with nearly 96 per cent turnout reported by 3.00 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to vote, accompanied by Union ministers Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jitendra Singh, and L. Murugan, in room no. 101, Vasudha, in the New Parliament Building.

Voting, open from 10 am to 5 pm, is for NDA nominee and Maharashtra governor C.P. Radhakrishnan and joint Opposition candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy. Counting of votes is scheduled to begin at 6.00 pm, with results expected later in the evening.

Prominent early voters included Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Pralhad Joshi, Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda (92, who arrived in a wheelchair), Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, and Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Nasser Hussain. Notably, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge walked hand in hand to the polling booth.

The NDA appointed Union ministers Rijiju, Ram Mohan Naidu, and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde as official election agents. Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat expressed confidence in an NDA victory as polling got underway.

The vice-presidential election is conducted via a secret ballot, and MPs are not bound by party whips. Speaker Om Birla and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar voted after 2.00 pm. Other prominent voters included TMC’s Saugata Roy, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shatrughan Sinha, and Abhishek Banerjee; AAP’s Harbhajan Singh; and Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

In a unique instance, Lok Sabha MP from Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, voted under police custody following court permission. Rashid has been lodged in Tihar Jail since 2019 in a terror funding case.

The electoral college comprises 788 MPs — 543 from the Lok Sabha and 245 from the Rajya Sabha, including 12 nominated members. With six Rajya Sabha seats and one Lok Sabha seat vacant, the current strength is 781, making 391 votes the majority mark. The NDA holds 425 MPs, while the opposition has 324, setting the stage for a closely watched contest.

With PTI inputs