Voting begins for vice presidential election; PM Narendra Modi first to cast vote
New Delhi (PTI): Voting began for the vice presidential poll on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the first to cast his vote.
The poll is witnessing a direct contest between ruling NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy, with the BJP-led alliance having a clear edge in the poll necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Among the early voters were Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju. Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Harivansh, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut and SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav were among others who came to cast their vote.
Members of both Houses of Parliament will cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 AM and 5 PM on Tuesday. Counting votes will begin at 6 PM, and the results will be announced late evening.
Members of Parliament are not bound by party whips to vote in the vice presidential election, which takes place under a secret ballot system.
The electoral college for the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members - 245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election.
The present strength of the electoral college is 781 as six seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha. This puts the majority mark at 391. The NDA has 425 MPs, while the opposition camp has the backing of 324.
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Two killed, one injured in bike-SUV collision in UP's Banda
Banda (UP) (PTI): Two people were killed and another injured on Sunday morning after their motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV near a village in Naraini area in the district, police said.
The accident took place near Padmai village at around 5 am when all three individuals riding the motorcycle were returning home from a wedding ceremony, Naraini SHO Sandeep Tiwari said.
According to the police, the motorcyclist, Ajay Rajput, 24, a resident of Barua Kalinjar village, died on the spot, while his cousin, Prabha, 20, passed away at the hospital during treatment.
His brother-in-law, Rakesh, 23, who sustained critical injuries, is currently undergoing treatment at the Banda Medical College, police said.
The police have seized the SUV and registered a case in connection with the incident, the SHO said.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent for a post-mortem, police said.
