India's Vice Presidential Race: The Numbers Game Favors NDA for a Decisive Win

As India geared up for the Vice Presidential election, the political landscape was abuzz with predictions, and the numbers on paper told a clear story: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held a significant upper hand. The election, which saw NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar face off against the Opposition's Margaret Alva, was largely seen as a numerical battle, with Dhankhar poised for a comfortable victory.

The electoral college for the Vice President comprises members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, bringing the total strength to 788 votes.

This includes 543 members from the Lok Sabha and 245 from the Rajya Sabha. Unlike presidential elections, elected members of state legislative assemblies do not participate.

The NDA's advantage stemmed from its formidable strength in both houses of Parliament. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alone commanded 303 seats in the Lok Sabha and 91 in the Rajya Sabha.

When factoring in their allies, the NDA's total vote count soared to approximately 336 in the Lok Sabha and 91 in the Rajya Sabha, placing their overall projected support well over 400 votes.

In contrast, the combined strength of the Opposition, spearheaded by the INDIA bloc, fell considerably short.

While Congress held 50 seats in the Lok Sabha and 31 in the Rajya Sabha, and other significant parties like the DMK contributed 24 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha seats, their collective numbers struggled to match the NDA's formidable tally. A major blow to the Opposition's chances came from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which, despite being a prominent opposition party with 23 Lok Sabha and 13 Rajya Sabha members, announced its decision to abstain from voting.

This move, representing 36 crucial votes, further widened the gap.

Adding to the NDA's momentum, several key regional parties declared their support for Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), with its 12 Lok Sabha and 9 Rajya Sabha MPs, and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), holding 22 Lok Sabha and 9 Rajya Sabha seats, both pledged their allegiance to the NDA candidate.

Furthermore, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) also extended their support to Dhankhar, solidifying his position even further.

Given these clear numerical advantages and strategic alignments, the outcome of the Vice Presidential election was largely a foregone conclusion.

Jagdeep Dhankhar was widely expected to secure a decisive victory, underscoring the NDA's dominance in the national political arena and highlighting the challenges faced by a fragmented opposition.