Key Points

The Vice Presidential election is scheduled to be held today, with the voting to begin before noon. The counting of votes will also take place in the evening today.

The election came days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as the Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.

The stage is set for a contest between Radhakrishnan and retired Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, who has been named as the joint opposition candidate for the Vice President's post.

Both the BJP-led NDA and opposition parties held mock polls ahead of the crucial day, telling the MPs to be cautious in exercising their franchise lest their vote be invalid.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the candidature of CP Radhakrishnan has generated immense enthusiasm across the country, and people believe he will be an excellent Vice President.

"Participated in the NDA meeting in Delhi, attended by MPs across the NDA family. The candidature of Thiru CP Radhakrishnan has generated immense enthusiasm all across. People believe that he will be an excellent Vice President, who will enrich the office with his wisdom and insights," he said in a post on X.

PM Modi addressed NDA MPs ahead of the Vice Presidential election at a meeting here.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "It was a very good meeting. All MPs of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha met together, and PM Modi also guided them. The Prime Minister expressed his happiness about the important bills that have been passed in the Parliament recently, and also said that people should be informed about such important bills in the true sense. For a self-reliant India, NDA leaders have been called upon to play a leadership role."

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc held a mock drill to reduce the risk of invalid ballots.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai said all important issues were considered for tomorrow's Vice Presidential election.

"The entire opposition is united. A mock poll was conducted for the Vice Presidential election. Even small details were explained so that no mistake happens," he told ANI later.

A BJP leader said that the NDA candidate is expected to garner at least 427 votes. Congress leaders expressed confidence that the opposition candidate will get over 324 votes.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to abstain from the Vice Presidential elections.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) also announced that the party will not take part in the Vice Presidential polls.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has also announced that it will "boycott" the Vice Presidential election, given that "people of Punjab are upset and angry with the state govt and centre govt because neither Punjab govt nor centre govt nor the Congress, has come to help them."

- ANI