New Delhi [India], September 9 : As the voting for the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh exercised his franchise along with other NDA MPs in the Parliament.
Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP in Rajya Sabha, HD Deve Gowda, arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote for the Vice Presidential poll.
Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Prahlad Joshi cast their votes. Nitin Gadkari was seen shaking hands with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as they both arrived at the Parliament.
Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh, also cast his ballot. He chaired the Upper House of the Parliament in the absence of the Vice President during the Monsoon Session, after former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, citing health reasons.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also took part in voting.
The polling for the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday at 10 am with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first to cast his vote.
The contest is between NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan and opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jitan Ram Manjhi expressed support for CP Radhakrishnan and confidence in his victory.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "NDA's victory is certain. CP Radhakrishnan will be the new Vice President."
"NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan will surely win the Vice-President elections," Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi told reporters.
Union Minister Suresh Gopi backed Radhakrishnan and called it an election aimed at "fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness".
Suresh Gopi said, "This election is not about choosing between anyone. It is an election aimed at selecting fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness, which are most needed for the citizens of the country, whether they live inside or outside the country... As a person, I found CP Radhakrishnan to be the best worker or one of the best among thousands of workers in my ideological system."
NDA hold a majority in the Parliament, and 424 MPs are likely to vote in favour of Radhakrishnan, which is above the majority mark of 391.
Counting of votes will be held later in the evening.