New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju arrived at Parliament House on Tuesday to cast his vote for the Vice Presidential elections in support of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate CP Radhakrishnan, who is expected to receive a comfortable majority with major alliance partners backing the pick.
Counting of the votes polled in the election will be held on the first floor of Parliament House. The voting will also take place in the same room.
Right after casting his vote, PM Modi is set to visit the flood hit areas of Punjab and Himachal. Atleast 51 people have died due to flood related incidents in Punjab, and an initial assessment of losses estimate around Rs 780 crore worth of damage to state’s critical healthcare infrastructure, farm land, and property.
Radkhakrishan is facing off against retired Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, who has been named as the joint opposition candidate for the Vice President’s post.
Numbers favour Radhakrishnan, as he is expected to receive around 427 votes, well above the majority mark of 391. In contrast, the INDIA bloc hopes for cross voting to defeat the NDA candidate. INDIA bloc candidate B Sudhershan Reddy is backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the Lower House and 105 in the Upper House.
In the Lok Sabha, Radhakrishnan is expected to receive 293 votes and 134 votes are likely to be cast in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.
Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.
Earlier today, the NDA candidate offered prayers at Shree Ram Mandir in Delhi’s Lodhi Road, and expressed confidence in winning the elections, saying that it will be a “big victory for Indian nationalism.”
“The elections are taking place. It is going to be a big victory for Indian nationalism. We are all one, we will be one and we want India to become ‘Viksit Bharat’,” the NDA nominee told reporters.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have decided to abstain from the Vice Presidential elections.Meanwhile, the BJP MPs have expressed confidence in CP Radhakrishnan’s win.
Meanwhile in Punjab, ahead of PM Modi’s visit, state health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh laid bare the catastrophic damage inflicted by the recent floods. The Health Minister informed that the floods have destroyed medicines worth Rs 130 crores, besides 1,280 dispensaries and health & wellness centres, 101 community health centres, and 31 out of the state’s 41 sub-divisional hospitals were severely damaged, accumulating the initial damages to around Rs 780 crores. (ANI)
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