The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday unveiled the official schedule for the 17th Vice Presidential election, where the voting is to be held on September 9, 2025.
The election is being held due to a vacancy in the office of Vice President after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the notice on July 22.
The elected candidate shall start a five-year term from the date of assumption of office.
As per the elaborate schedule published by the Commission, the notification for the election will be published on August 7. The nominations may be filed till August 21, followed by scrutiny on August 22. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is August 25. In case of contest, the polling will take place on September 9 between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and counting (if any) will be on the same evening.
The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament—Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The electoral college this year has a total of 788 members, but five seats in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha are vacant. Therefore, 782 members will cast their votes.
The voting is done by secret ballot and adopts the model of proportional representation by single transferable vote. This maintains anonymity while accurately counting each voter's vote. The Secretary General, Rajya Sabha, has been designated as the Returning Officer for the election.
The polling will take place in Room No. F-101, Vasudha, First Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi.
The Constitution requires Vice Presidential elections to be conducted by secret ballot. Therefore, electors must maintain strictly the secrecy of their votes. Open voting is never allowed and public display of a marked ballot—even voluntarily—is expressly prohibited in both Presidential and Vice Presidential elections.
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