The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed two senior officials as observers for the upcoming Vice Presidential election scheduled for September 9. Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, and D. Anandan, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, will oversee the conduct of the poll.
The election has been necessitated following the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar last month on health grounds. This will be the 17th Vice Presidential election since Independence.
The Vice President is elected by an Electoral College comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The ruling NDA has nominated CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate, while the opposition INDIA bloc has fielded former Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, setting the stage for a keen contest.