Vice-President Election 2022: Voting, result date and other details

The vice-president of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of the members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Here is a list of Indian VPs so far

The 2022 election for the vice-president of India was held on August 6. The ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar won the poll by defeating the Opposition's V-P candidate Margaret Alva. He won 528 votes against Alva's 182. Securing 74.36% votes, he has the highest winning margin in the last six vice-presidential elections held since 1997.

How is the vice-president of India elected?

The vice-president of India is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, the two houses of the Indian parliament. The nominated members of these houses are also eligible to vote. Voting is done through a secret ballot.

The electoral college

• 543 members of Lok Sabha
• 237 members of Rajya Sabha
• 780 total members

All four Rajya Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir are currently vacant

The sole Rajya Sabha seat of Tripura is also vacant

Three nominated member seats in the Rajya Sabha are vacant as well

Who were the nominees for this year’s vice-presidential election?

Jagdeep Dhankhar

Dhankhar, 71, a BJP leader, was born in 1951 in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. A former lawyer, he served as the governor of West Bengal from July 2019 to July 2022. Previously, he has served as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, a member of parliament, and a Minister of State in the Indian government.

Margaret Alva

Alva, 80, a Congress leader, was the joint VP candidate of the Opposition. Born in Mangaluru, she has been elected to the Rajya Sabha four times and also won a Lok Sabha election. She has also served as a Union Minister of State and held the post of governor in four states - Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.

List of VPs of India

India has seen 13 vice-presidents since the formation of the post in 1952.
 

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was the first vice-president of India. He served for a period of 10 years, from 1952 to 1962.
• Zakir Husain was the second Indian VP, who served between 1962 and 1967.
• VV Giri became the third Indian vice-president in 1967 and served until 1969.
• Gopal Swarup Pathak, the fourth Indian VP, served in office from 1969 to 1974.
• BD Jatti served as the fifth vice-president of India. His term began in 1974 and concluded in 1979.
• Mohammad Hidayatullah was the sixth Indian VP, who served between 1979 and 1984.
• Ramaswamy Venkataraman served as the seventh Indian vice-president. His term began in 1984 and concluded in 1987.
• Shankar Dayal Sharma was the eighth Indian vice-president. He served as VP from 1987 and 1992.
• KR Narayanan, the ninth Indian vice-president, remained in office between 1992 and 1997.
• Krishan Kant was the 10th vice-president of India. His term began in August 1997 and continued until his death in July 2002.
• Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was the 11th Indian VP. He held the position from 2002 to 2007.
• Mohammad Hamid Ansari, the 12th Indian VP, held the post for two terms, from 2007 to 2017.
• Venkaiah Naidu is the 13th and current vice-president of India, whose term is due to end this month.