New Delhi – The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed two senior officials as observers for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election, which is scheduled to be held on September 9. According to reports, Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and D. Anandan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, have been tasked with overseeing the electoral process.
The election, which will be the 17th of its kind, has been necessitated by the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar last month. In his resignation letter, Dhankhar cited health reasons for stepping down from the post.
The contest will see a battle between the ruling and opposition alliances. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded C. P. Radhakrishnan, while the opposition INDIA bloc has nominated former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy as its candidate. The Vice-President is elected by an Electoral College that consists of the members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
(ATP)