Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress politician and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, announced on Wednesday that the leaders of the Opposition parties will convene on July 17 to discuss the nominee for the next Vice Presidential election, news agency ANI reported.


"Meeting on 17th July and all Opposition leaders will attend it. Parliamentary Affairs Minister has also called an all-party meet. So, we'll hold a discussion with everyone on the 17th that what kind of a candidate we should have," Kharge was quoted by ANI in its report.


The Central Government has convened an all-party meeting for Sunday morning, ahead of the opening of Parliament's Monsoon Session.


According to him, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi has approved a united Opposition candidate.


"There is no candidate from Congress. Our party president has clearly said that whoever is chosen as the candidate by all parties (of Opposition), we will stand with it," he added.


The opposition parties' nominee for the presidential race is Yashwant Sinha. Malikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, has been tasked by Congress with reaching out to opposition parties in order to nominate a candidate for the Vice President election.


Nominations for the vice-presidential election, which will take place on August 6, began on Tuesday.


The Election Commission announced that the elections for India's 16th Vice President would be held on August 6, 2022.


The ECI has also directed that Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh serve as the Returning Officer for the elections.


Nomination papers for the aforementioned election can be submitted from now and till July 19, 2022. The nominations will be scrutinised on July 20, and the final list will be released on July 22.


As with the election of the President of India, eligible candidates will be required to submit a few documents, including a certified copy of the electoral roll with their name on it and a fee of Rs 15,000 when submitting their nomination papers, which will be returned after the election process is completed if they are not selected from the final list.


Voting for the Vice President of India will take place in Parliament, and members of the Rajya Sabha will take part in this election because the vice president is also the de facto chairman of the upper chamber.


The poll for the upcoming vice presidential election is scheduled to take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on August 6, 2022, with results anticipated the same day.


The NDA chose Venkaiah Naidu as their vice-presidential candidate in 2017, and he went on to become India's 15th vice president. His term will expire on August 10, 2022.


Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi and joint opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha are the only two candidates running for President after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination expired on Saturday.


The Returning Officer for the Presidential Elections, Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody, has announced that voting for the Presidential Election would take place on July 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 63 of the Parliament House.


Members of Parliament vote in Parliament House, New Delhi, and Members of State Legislative Assemblies, including Members of the Legislative Assemblies of the NCT of Delhi and the Union Territory of Puducherry, vote in their respective capitals at locations designated by the Election Commission.


A Member of Parliament, on the other hand, may vote in any State Capital or Union Territory Capital if he or she has acquired prior authorization from the Election Commission. Similarly, a member of any State Legislative Assembly who has secured prior permission from the Election Commission may vote in Parliament House, New Delhi, or any State capital other than his or her own.


(With Inputs From ANI)