Vice Presidential election 2017: Venkaiah Naidu to become 13th VP of India

Venkaiah Naidu secured 516 votes, Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi secured 242 votes

Former Union Minister and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate M Venkaiah Naidu is elected as the 13th Vice-President of India on Saturday. Out of 760 valid votes, he secured 516 votes while Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi secured 244 votes.

Of the 771 votes polled, 760 were valid and 11 were declared invalid; 14 lawmakers were absent from voting. Ninety per cent votes were polled within the first two hours, till 12 pm. 

Naidu will take oath as new Vice-President of India on August 11. He will be appointed as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. 

The term of incumbent Vice-President Hamid Ansari, who held the position for two consecutive terms, will come to an end on August 10.

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After the result was announced, Naidu took to Twitter to thank the MPs who voted for him.
 

With all humility, I express my gratitude to every MP who supported my candidature cutting across party lines.

— M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) August 5, 2017

I promise to uphold the Constitution and the high standards set by my esteemed
predecessors.

— M Venkaiah Naidu (@MVenkaiahNaidu) August 5, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Naidu on his success. 

Congratulations to @MVenkaiahNaidu Garu on being elected India’s Vice President. My best wishes for a fruitful & motivating tenure.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2017
 

I am confident @MVenkaiahNaidu will serve the nation as a diligent & dedicated Vice President, committed to the the goal of nation building.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2017

My mind is filled with memories of working with @MVenkaiahNaidu Garu, in the Party & Government. Will cherish this aspect of our association

 

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2017 The vice-president is selected through a secret ballot by the members of the Electoral College consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. The nominated Members of Rajya Sabha as well as of Lok Sabha are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College and, therefore, are entitled to participate in the election. ALSO READ: Difficult shoes to fill: Hamid Ansari retiring as Vice-President of India

Unlike the president, the vice-president is not allotted any special residential privileges while in office. While the president of India stays at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the vice-president is not subjected to any such benefits during his or her tenure. 

Members of Parliament used special pens for marking their choice. The votes marked with any other pen were liable to be rejected. The ballot paper contained the names of the contesting candidates but did not contain any election symbol.