New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Ahead of the crucial Vice Presidential election scheduled for September 9, Opposition Members of Parliament will attend a mock poll exercise on Monday in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan around 2:30 P.M., aimed at familiarising MPs with the procedure to ensure smooth and error-free voting.

This year’s Vice Presidential contest is a direct face-off between NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan and the Opposition’s joint candidate, Justice (Retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy.

Notably, both contenders hail from southern India, Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu and Justice Reddy from Telangana, adding a regional dimension to the race.

The election, although expected to favour the ruling NDA due to its numerical advantage in Parliament, is being hailed by the Opposition as a symbolic ideological battle.

Justice Reddy, 79, is a retired Supreme Court judge known for delivering landmark rulings, including strong rebukes to the Union government over inaction in black money investigations and the declaration of Salwa Judum as unconstitutional.

On the other hand, Radhakrishnan is a seasoned BJP leader with RSS roots who currently serves as the Governor of Maharashtra.

According to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P.C. Mody, who is serving as the Returning Officer for the election, voting will take place in Room No. F-101, Vasudha, Parliament House, on Tuesday, September 9. Polling is scheduled to begin at 10 A.M. and will close at 5 P.M.

The electoral college for the Vice Presidential election comprises 233 elected Rajya Sabha members (with five vacancies), 12 nominated members, and 543 elected Lok Sabha members (one seat vacant). The Vice President of India is elected through a secret ballot using the single transferable vote system.

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has cancelled the dinner that he had planned to host for the Opposition MPs on Monday, a day before the Vice-Presidential elections.

“Keeping in view the havoc and misery created by floods in Punjab and in various parts of the country, expressing empathy with the affected people, a considered view has been taken to cancel the dinner scheduled to be hosted in honour of our combined candidate Justice (Retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy,” Kharge said.

–IANS

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