New Delhi [India], August 21 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday touched base with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, seeking support for the candidature of CP Radhakrishnan, who has been named as the Vice Presidential candidate of NDA.
The Vice Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on September 9, with counting to take place on the same day.
This comes after the INDIA bloc's Vice-Presidential nominee and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming VP election, describing the moment as an honour and pledging to discharge the role with impartiality, dignity, and a steadfast commitment, if elected.
Reddy filed the nomination in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
In a statement released after filing his nomination, Justice (Retd.) Reddy said, "Today, I had the honour of filing my nomination papers for the office of the Vice President of India as a joint candidate of the Opposition parties. I did so with a deep sense of humility, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in our Constitution."
The election for the Vice President of India will see a direct contest between Justice Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and NDA's nominee C P Radhakrishnan.
NDA's candidate CP Radhakrishnan on Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the Vice Presidential elections in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Kiren Rijiju and Arjun Ram Meghwal were also present at the occasion.
Radhakrishnan filed his nomination in the presence of about 20 proposers and 20 supporters.
The election for the Vice President of India will see a direct contest between Justice Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and NDA's nominee C P Radhakrishnan.
The last date for filing nominations is today, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 25. The Vice Presidential post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons.
The VP is elected by an electoral college, which consists of MPs from both houses of Parliament. The elections of the Vice President are governed by the provisions under Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution. The Election Commission notifies the VP polls by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.
As per Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India, the election of the Vice President shall be held by the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.
The post of Vice President fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, citing health reasons.