The Election Commission of India has announced that the election for the post of the Vice President of India will be conducted on August 6, 2024, as M. Venkaiah Naidu’s term was going to end on August 10.
About Vice President of India
- The Vice President is the deputy to the head of the Republic of India, the President of India
- VP office is the second-highest constitutional office after the President and ranks second in the precedence order and first in the order of succession to the presidency
- The Vice President is also a member of the Parliament
Qualifications for Vice President Post
- To be qualified to be elected as Vice President, a person must be a citizen of India, be at least 35 years of age, and Not hold any office of profit
- He.she must be qualified for election as a Rajya Sabha member
Vice President of India Roles and Responsibilities
- Whenever a new bill is introduced in the Rajya Sabha, the Vice President decides whether it is a money bill or not. If it is a money bill, VP shall refer it to the Lok Sabha speaker
- The Vice President of India also acts as the chancellor of the central universities in the country
Vice President Election Procedure
- Article 66 of the Indian Constitution states the process of election of the Vice President
- The Vice President is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college which consists of members of both houses of Parliament and not the members of the State Legislative Assembly
- The voting is conducted through a secret ballot by the Election Commission of India
- The Electoral College for the poll will comprise 12 nominated Rajya Sabha members, 233 Rajya Sabha members, and 543 Lok Sabha members
- Any political party cannot issue a whip to their MPs in the matter of voting in the Vice-Presidential election
Removal
- The Constitution states that the Vice President can be removed by a resolution passed by an Effective majority of Rajya Sabha and agreed by the Lok Sabha with a simple majority. But, such a resolution has to be moved at least 14 days’ notice in advance
- As per Article 122, the deputy chairman can’t be challenged in any court of law
