PM Modi Casts First Vote in Vice Presidential Elections

New Delhi – The contest for India’s next Vice President takes a crucial step forward as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to cast the first vote in the elections today. The focus of political scrutiny will remain on the duel between the nominee of the ruling NDA and the candidate of the Opposition bloc, where parliamentary numbers will have a serious influence.

The NDA has fielded C.P. Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra, while the Opposition bloc have fielded Justice (Retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, creating an interesting scenario for the contest. Both sides will view the elections as a symbolic contest of strength despite the NDA having an overall numerical advantage in Parliament.

Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ram Mohan Naidu, alongside Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, were appointed as the official election agents for the NDA nominee, revealing how seriously the ruling coalition is going to take the poll exercise. That is if one ignored the fact that three important parties – the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) – announced that they would abstain from voting. Their absence may change the voting arithmetic marginally but would unlikely change the overall outcome.

The Vice President of India has a unique constitutional status, simultaneously doubling as the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, the body where much of the parliamentary debate and discussion takes place on legislation. As the government would like to pass several important reforms and legislations in subsequent sessions, the election result is important because it will not only determine the occupant of the high office, it may influence the mood and even the proceedings in the Upper House.

Given that casting the first vote is a strong indication of the government’s faith in itself and shows its desire to lead from the front, could this be construed as important symbolism for Prime Minister Modi? Political watchers think today’s election will also function as an early barometer of Opposition unity and to see how many numbers they can bring together to fight back against the ruling coalition.

As the day goes on, we will be watching Parliament to see how the numbers end up. By the end of the day, India will know who the next Vice President will be, a government post that carries one of the Constitution’s most important responsibilities given the rapidly changing political landscape.