Election of Vice President: Why are ballot papers and not EVMs used? What is system of single transferable vote?

Hours after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar quit, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that it had set the ball rolling for the election of the next vice president. With this, the questions being asked are, How is the Vice President elected? Who elects him? What does it mean when you say electoral college for the election of the vice president? What are the constitutional provisions for his election? The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, outlines the guidelines for elections to these offices. Election to the office of Vice President of India is governed by the provisions contained in Articles 64 to 68 of the Constitution of India. 

Who conducts election of vice president?

According to the official website of the Election Commission of India, the authority to conduct elections to the Office of Vice-President is vested in the Election Commission of India, under  Article 324 of the Constitution of India. Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India says in clear terms that the election of the Vice President shall be held by the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. The electoral college for the vice president consists of the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, elected as well as nominated.

Eligibility

A candidate to contest for vice president should be a citizen of India.

• 2. He must be 35 years of age.
• 3. He must be eligible to be a member of the Rajya Sabha.
• 4. The candidate must not hold any office of profit under the Government of India or the government of any state or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said governments.

At least 20 electors must propose and another 20 must second the nomination paper of a candidate.

Why is EVM not used?

The ballot papers are printed in pink colour, in Hindi and English. It contains two rows- one containing the names of the candidates and the other the preferences. No EVM is used in the election of the vice president and the president of India. As an elector has to mark his preference for candidates under the system of proportional representation by the single transferable vote, ballot papers are used instead of the EVM.

The Anti-Defection Law is not applicable in the election of the vice president and party whip can not be issued so that the electors could use their own choices and preferences.