Overview

• The dinner is planned for September 8, a day before the September 9 vice-presidential election, according to senior alliance figures and media reports.
• Sources say the meeting seeks full attendance, coordinated voting and reduced cross-voting in support of NDA nominee C. P. Radhakrishnan against opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy.
• NDA managers are conducting workshops to brief MPs on the single transferable vote process, including using the designated pen and proper ballot folding to avoid invalid votes.
• The electoral college comprises 782 MPs, the vote is secret with no party whip, and a candidate needs just over half of valid ballots cast, or about 392 votes, to win.
• The NDA counts roughly 425–426 MPs and also has declared support from the YSR Congress Party’s 11 MPs, with outreach to the BJD and BRS ongoing, according to India Today.