New Delhi: The election for the post of Vice President will be held on September 9, the Election Commission announced on Friday. The notification for the vice presidential election will be issued on August 7 and the last date for filing nomination papers will be August 21.
According to a notification issued by the Commission, the poll will be held on September 9 between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm, and the counting of votes will also take place on the same day. The results of the election will be announced on September 9 itself, the poll authority said.
The last date for filing nominations is August 21, while the scrutiny of nominations will be conducted on August 22. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until August 25.
The post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, citing health reasons. The sudden resignation, on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, sparked rumours of a rift between Dhankhar and the BJP over certain issues.
The Vice President is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha and his handling of affairs in the Upper House of Parliament may not have seemed satisfactory to the BJP’s top leadership, observers have said.
While it is almost certain that an NDA nominee will be elected as the next Vice President, it remains to be seen who the candidate will be. Some believe that somebody from Bihar is likely to be nominated, with the state going to the polls later this year.