Voting for the Vice Presidential poll began at 10 AM on Friday to elect a successor to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who quit the post after losing the race for President.
NEW DELHI: Voting for the Vice Presidential poll began at 10 AM on Friday to elect a successor to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who quit the post after losing the race for Raisina Hill last month.
The exercise, in which members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha would exercise their franchise, appeared to be a mere formality with UPA-Left nominee Hamid Ansari far ahead of his two rivals in the numbers game.
While Najma Heptullah of the NDA and Rasheed Masood of the UNPA are in the fray, the number game is heavily loaded in favour of Ansari in the all-Muslim race.
The UPA-Left along with the BSP commands the support of 425 MPs of the total of 788 members in the two Houses. The NDA has the backing of 240 MPs. The Third Front, formally known as the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), has 81 MPs.
A successful candidate needs to secure 393 votes.
The Janata Dal (Secular) will abstain from voting. The party, which maintains equidistance from both Congress and BJP at the national level, has also decided not to support the Third Front candidate.
JD(S), which is sharing power with BJP in Karnataka, has four members in Parliament -- two each in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among the early voters, who exercised their franchise in the Vice-Presidential election, which witnessed brisk polling on Friday.
The voting, which began at 10am, will close at 5pm. UPA-Left nominee Hamid Ansari appeared set to emerge a clear winner on the basis of the poll arithmetic.
In the triangular all-Muslim contest, Ansari is pitted against BJP-led NDA candidate Najma Heptulla and Third Front nominee Rashid Masood.
While the Prime Minister was among the first to cast his ballot, Gandhi arrived soon after.
Among the other early voters were Union Ministers, prominent leaders of key UPA and NDA parties and leaders of Left parties.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani cast their votes after the House adjourned for the day.
Advani said NDA gave priority to ability over gender or religion while fielding Heptulla, who had a vast experience in running the House as its Deputy Chairman for several years.
He said the post of Vice President assumes added significance as the person presides over the Upper House and "there is no one who is more experienced than Heptulla in conducting the proceedings".
Vajpayee, Congress MP Ajit Jogi and RJD leader Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav came in wheel chairs.
Yadav, lodged in Tihar Jail here in connection with a murder charge, was escorted by his wife, Ranjeeta, an LJP MP.
Among the voters were two candidates - Heptulla and Masood - both MPs.
D Raja of CPI and Kanimozhi, daughter of DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, exercised their franchise for the first time in such a poll.
Photographers were busy clicking BJP MP Hema Malini, clad in a saffron saree, when she was engrossed in some serious conversation with RJD Chief Lalu Prasad.
When asked about the topic of discussion, Prasad laughingly said it was about a new film being made by her in which he wanted a role for himself.
While JD(S) abstained from voting, Shiv Sena, which had kept the NDA on tenterhooks on its decision on participating in the exercise, turned up at the polling venue.
Congress MP Priya Dutt, sister of actor Sanjay Dutt, who is in jail in connection with the Mumbai blast case, too participated in the polling.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri also exercised his franchise as he is yet to resign from the Lok Sabha.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}