Amarinder Singh Likely To Be NDA’s Vice Presidential Candidate

New Delhi: Captain Amarinder Singh, who quit the Congress last year, is likely to be NDA’s vice-presidential candidate, the former CM’s office said on Saturday. The 80-year-old former chief minister of Punjab is in London for back surgery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Singh after his surgery on Sunday, News18 reported.

Amarinder Singh resigned from the Congress after five decades, after he was replaced as the chief minister of Punjab last year. He later formed his own party, Punjab Lok Congress.

The polls to elect the 16th vice president of India will be held on August 6, with the last date of nomination set for July 19, the Election Commission of India announced on Wednesday, four days before vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu demits office on August 10, the report added.

The vice-president is elected by the members of the electoral college consisting of the members of both houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The electoral college comprises a total of 788 members — 233 elected members of Rajya Sabha, 12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha and 543 elected members of Lok Sabha.

“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,” the Commission said in a statement.