NEW DELHI: Counting support of 491 MPs in both the Houses of Parliament, which constitute the electoral college for the Vice-Presidential election, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted all the NDA Parliamentarians to help elect former Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu as the next Vice President.
While the NDA nominee in the Presidential election Ram Nath Kovind had bagged 521 votes from the two Houses of the Parliament, Naidu is likely to get 491 as the JD (U) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have announced support for the joint Opposition candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi. However, the BJP is taking extra care to ensure that none of the votes from the NDA becomes invalid as had been the case with 21 votes in the Presidential election.
Prime Minister on Friday also released a book – Tireless Voice Relentless Journey – Key speeches and articles of Venkaiah Naidu.
The MPs, including 12 nominated in the Rajya Sabha and two in the Lok Sabha, will vote from 9 am to 5 pm for the Vice Presidential election on Saturday. The result will be announced in the evening.