Vice President poll begins: Ansari has edge over Jaswant Singh

The balloting will close at 5pm and results will be declared thereafter.

About  787 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will vote  to decide 14th Vice President  .

Going by the numbers,UPA nominee Hamid Ansari appears set to get a second term as Vice President as  Ansari enjoys support from UPA allies like TMC, DMK, NCP and RLD. The SP and BSP which are extending outside supports to the UPA have decided to back Ansari. The Left is also supporting  Ansari

A total of 42 papers were filed by 31 candidates during the 14-day nomination process, of which four sets of papers submitted by Ansari and three sets submitted by Singh were accepted. The nomination papers of 29 others were rejected on various grounds.

 Though the numbers are stacked highly against Singh, BJP is making all efforts to put up a respectable fight.
 

Ahead of the poll, UPA Chaiperson Sonia Gandhi hosted a lunch for UPA constituents and the parties supporting it from outside, which projected a complete picture of unity.The election for the post of Vice President has seen UPA and its allies, the Left as also other parties supporting it from outside backing the incumbent.

UPA managers are confident that 75-year-old Ansari is set to get at least 500 votes in a contest in which Ansari has a definite edge as far as the arithmetic is concerned.  Congress itself has 204 members in Lok Sabha and 71 in Rajya Sabha. UPA constituents Trinamool Congress has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha, DMK has 18 members in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha, NCP 9 in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha and RLD has 5 in Lok Sabha. National Conference has 3 in Lok Sabha and 2 in Rajya Sabha.

Trinamool to support Ansari
  

Trinamool Congress, a major constituentof UPA,decided to support the alliance's Vice Presidential poll candidate Hamid Ansari but oppose any decision to open the multibrand retail to FDI and bills on forward marketing in commodities and privatization of pension fund in the monsoon session of Parliament.

 Trinamool has 28 members in Parliament, 19 in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha.
 

Besides, SP with its 22 members in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha and BSP with its 21 in Lok Sabha and 15 in Rajya Sabha are backing Ansari who is also being backed by the entire Left block with 38 members in both Houses of Parliament.

Jaswant having support of NDA

Unlike the Presidential poll held last month, which had split NDA with JD-U and Shiv Sena breaking ranks to vote for UPA  candidate Pranab Mukherjee, Jaswant Singh has the backing of a united NDA for his Vice Presidential bid.

BJP has 114 members in Lok Sabha and 49 in Rajya Sabha,JD-U 20 and 9, Shiv Sena 11 and 4 and SAD 4 and 3.While AIADMK, which has 14 MPs in Parliament, announced its support to Singh's candidature, BJD with 18 members in Lok Sabha and 7 in the Rajya Sabha has decided to abstain from voting.
  

BJD to abstain from vice-presidential election voting
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to abstain from voting in the ensuing vice-presidential election.

 Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik said the BJD would neither support Congress-led UPA candidate nor BJP-led NDA nominee.

The BJD has 14 Lok Sabha and seven Rajya Sabha members. One of the Rajya Sabha members Pyari Mohan Mohapatra has been suspended from the party.