Indian lawmakers began voting on Tuesday to elect the country’s new vice president, an official confirmed.

Polling started at 10:00 a.m. (local time) and will continue until 5:00 p.m. Counting of votes is scheduled to begin after 6:00 p.m., with results expected by nightfall.

The election was triggered by the abrupt resignation of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in July, citing health reasons. His term was originally set to end in August 2027.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has nominated C. P. Radhakrishnan, the governor of Maharashtra, as its candidate.

He is contesting against B. Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge and the nominee of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the opposition Congress party.

India’s vice president is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from both houses of Parliament, the Lok Sabha (lower house) and the Rajya Sabha (upper house).

Currently, the Lok Sabha has 543 members and the Rajya Sabha has 245, making a total electorate of 788. A simple majority of 395 votes is required to win.

(Xinhua/NAN)