New Delhi: Voting has commenced for the vice-presidential election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first to cast his vote. Voting began at 10 am and will continue till 5 pm.

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi also cast her vote along with other party leaders.

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Counting will begin post 6 pm. The election, taking place in Parliament Building, will decide the successor to the incumbent vice president.

The contest pits NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan against INDIA bloc’s candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy. The Vice President also functions as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, giving the post added significance in the parliamentary set-up.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to cast the first vote this morning. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ram Mohan Naidu, along with Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, have been named as official election agents.

Counting will begin at 6 pm, with the result likely to be declared later in the evening.

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The electoral college comprises 781 MPs, 542 elected from the Lok Sabha and 239 from the Rajya Sabha (233 elected and 12 nominated, with six seats currently vacant). Each vote carries equal weight, and the majority mark required for victory is 391. Voting is being held through a secret ballot.

The post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, citing health concerns, on the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament. His sudden exit left a leadership vacuum in the Upper House, making today’s election particularly important.

While observers expect the NDA to have an edge in terms of numbers, the possibility of cross-voting has kept the contest closely watched until the outcome is known tonight.