Errors in the past: While India’s VP elections have generally been smooth, invalid votes due to wrong polling methods (wrong pen, multiple marks, or incorrect signatures) have occurred multiple times, thereby necessitating workshops for MPs before such polls—to avoid mistakes that could reduce their side’s tally in high-stake elections.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attended a two-day BJP workshop—‘Sansad Karyashala’—for its MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The two-day workshop served multiple aims—election readiness, capacity building, strategic messaging, and unity reinforcement within the party and its alliances. It combined practical training with symbolic leadership and messaging, creating a cohesive front ahead of the high-stakes Vice-Presidential election on September 9. According to sources, the workshop included a mock poll to train MPs on the vote-casting process.
The MPs are set to meet again for a session on Monday afternoon, a day before the election for the Vice-President of India. NDA MPs have been invited to join later during the session for a discussion and to have tea with the PM
Meanwhile Opposition MPs would also be briefed on Monday on the procedure to vote in the September 9 vice presidential polls, and will be hosted for dinner by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge the same evening. A ‘mock poll’ would be conducted after the briefing on the procedure to vote in the polls.
This time, the V-P election is a ‘South vs South’ battle with NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu and opposition candidate B. Sudarshan Reddy from Telangana. While the ruling BJP-led NDA has the numbers, the saffron side is leaving no stone unturned for the election and to apprise the MPs regarding the poll process.
Training MPs on voting procedures
The workshop was designed to familiarise MPs—especially newcomers—with the secret-ballot process, election protocols, and how to avoid procedural mistakes that could invalidate their votes. Given that the BJP-led NDA holds a numerical advantage yet lacks a formal whip for this election, the workshop served to rally MPs across the alliance—ensuring their presence, boosting morale, and minimising risks of cross-voting.
Inputs on parliamentary efficiency, legislative strategy, time management, engagement with constituents and lauding the Modi government’s recent GST reforms served as a morale boost and a strategic reinforcement of the economic message ahead of the polls. Originally, dinner meetings with PM Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda were planned, but they were cancelled in solidarity with flood-affected populations, according to sources.
Errors in the past
The election is conducted via a secret ballot using a system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote. While India’s VP elections have generally been smooth, invalid votes due to wrong polling methods (wrong pen, multiple marks, or incorrect signatures) have occurred multiple times, thereby necessitating workshops for MPs before such polls—to avoid mistakes that could reduce their side’s tally.
For example, in the 1979 Vice-Presidential Election (M. Hidayatullah vs. S.I. Khusro), some votes were declared invalid due to incorrect marking on ballot papers. Though the number wasn’t large, it highlighted how MPs sometimes mishandled the voting process.
In the 2007 election (Hamid Ansari’s first term), 39 votes were marked invalid, mostly because MPs either marked incorrectly or didn’t follow procedure. The Election Commission then emphasised training to reduce errors.
In 2017 (Venkaiah Naidu vs. Gopalkrishna Gandhi), around 11 votes were declared invalid due to MPs marking ballots with pens other than the official one provided. It didn’t affect the result but showed how technicalities could create issues.
The Vice President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The 2025 electoral college is composed of 788 members, including 233 elected (presently five seats are vacant in the upper house) and 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha, and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (one seat vacant in the lower house).
At present there are around 782 members in the electoral college due to vacant seats
