INDIA Bloc to meet at Cong chief's house today to decide on Oppn's Vice President candidate

New Delhi, Aug 18 The INDIA Bloc will hold a meeting to decide on the Opposition's pick for the vice presidential poll, at 5:30 P.M. on Monday at the residence of Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.

Several political party leaders, including Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Shiv Sena (UBT), are expected to attend the meeting to choose the Opposition's candidate for the post of the Vice President of India.

Earlier in the day, Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, confirmed that the INDIA Bloc will announce its vice presidential candidate later on Monday.

He added that consultations with alliance partners are ongoing and a collective decision will be made soon.

"The Congress alone will not take a decision. We are meeting all our partners, and then our decision will come. The DMK has already made its position clear.

This comes as the ruling BJP-led NDA on Sunday picked Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the vice presidential election, scheduled for September 9.

The poll was necessitated after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down on July 21, citing health issues, and tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu.

The numbers, however, appear tilted in favour of the NDA. The Electoral College, consisting of 786 members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, requires 394 votes for a simple majority to elect the Vice President.

With 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, alongside the backing of nominated members, the NDA controls around 422 votes, which gives it a comfortable edge.

The INDIA Bloc, on the other hand, has about 300 MPs across both Houses. Even with a united front, the contest would be narrower than in previous elections.

The margin may narrow in the upcoming contest, yet the outcome remains tilted in favour of the NDA.

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