NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced Maharashtra governer CP Radhakrishnan as National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate for the upcoming vice-president elections, scheduled for September 9. BJP national president and Union minister JP Nadda, while making the announcement, said, “We will talk to the opposition as well. We should also get their support so that together we can ensure an unopposed election for the post of vice president.”

How the numbers add up

The vice president of India is elected by members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated members of the Upper House. At present, the NDA holds a numerical advantage.The combined strength of the two Houses is 786, factoring in six vacancies — one in the Lok Sabha (Basirhat, West Bengal) and five in the Rajya Sabha (four from Jammu and Kashmir and one from Punjab, where AAP MP Sanjeev Arora resigned after winning a state assembly bypoll).A candidate needs at least 394 votes to win, assuming full participation. The NDA is well placed, with 293 MPs in the 542-member Lok Sabha and 129 MPs in the 240-member Rajya Sabha (effective strength), including support from nominated members. This gives the ruling alliance an estimated total of 422 votes, comfortably above the required majority.Under Article 68(2) of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the vice president due to resignation, death, removal, or any other reason must be conducted “as soon as possible.” The elected person serves a full five-year term starting from the day of assuming office.The election is held by proportional representation through a single transferable vote and conducted by secret ballot, as stated in Article 66(1). Members rank the candidates in order of preference. The vice president is India’s second-highest constitutional authority and also functions as the ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.Former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar, 74, had resigned from his post on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons. In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu posted on the vice-president’s official X account, he wrote, “To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice-President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution.”The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the election of the vice-president of India. If contested, the poll will be held on 9 September from 10am to 5pm at the First Floor of the Parliament House.