Fact Box: Vice President of India

BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Vice-Presidential candidate M Venkaiah Naidu, who was chosen as the 13th Vice President of India, will succeed incumbent Hamid Ansari. Ansari’s tenure as the Vice President of India will come to an end on 10 August 2017.

With this election, Naidu will serve India as the 13th Vice President (in person) of the country and 15th overall.
At this point of time, when there will be a change in India’s second-highest Constitutional post, everyone should know important facts about the Vice President of India.

Facts about the Vice President of India

• The Vice President of India is the second-highest constitutional office in India after the President. Part V of the Constitution of India under Chapter I (Executive) discusses the office of the Vice-President of India.

• He/she acts as a President of India in the absence of the President due to death, resignation, impeachment, or other situations.

• He serves for a five-year term but can continue to be in office, irrespective of the expiry of the term, until the successor assumes office. Articles 63-73 deal with the qualifications, election and removal of Vice-President of India.

How is the Vice President of India elected?

The Vice President is elected indirectly, by an electoral college consisting of members {elected as well as nominated} of both houses of the Parliament in accordance with the system of Proportional Representation by means of the Single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot conducted by the election commission. The election of the Vice-President is slightly different from the election of the President as the members of state legislatures are not part of the Electoral College for the vice-presidential election.

According to the Election Commission, the Electoral College for 2017 vice presidential election consisted of the following members:
• From Rajya Sabha: 233 elected and 12 nominated members
• From Lok Sabha: 543 elected and 2 nominated.
• The total members in the Electoral College was 790

Vote value:

The value of each vote in the Vice Presidential election is one. Ballot paper that is used for the election contains the names of the contesting candidate; however, it does not contain any party symbol. It has two columns - one containing the name of the candidate and the second for marking the order of preference.

The winning candidate has to get a required quota of votes, which is 50% of the total valid votes.

Eligibility for being a Vice President

• He/she must be an Indian citizen and should be above 35 years of age.

• He/she should be qualified for election as a member of Rajya Sabha. The Vice President of India should be an ex officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

• He/she must not hold any office of profit under the Union Government or the Government of any State or under any local government

The Vice President may resign from his office by submitting his resignation to the President. The resignation becomes effective from the day it is accepted.

List of previous and incumbent Vice Presidents of India

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan: Elected in 1952 and 1957

• Zakir Husain: Elected in 1962

• Varahagiri Venkata Giri: Elected in 1967

• Gopal Swarup Pathak: Elected in 1969

• Basappa Danappa Jatti: Elected in 1974

• Mohammad Hidayatullah: Elected in 1979

• Ramaswamy Venkataraman: Elected in 1984

• Shankar Dayal Sharma: Elected in 1987

• Kocheril Raman Narayanan: Elected in 1992

• Krishan Kant: Elected in 1997

• Bhairon Singh Shekhawat: Elected in 2002

• Mohammad Hamid Ansari (incumbent): Elected in 2007 and 2012

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Varahagiri Venkata Giri later became President of India.