Overview

• Polling is scheduled on September 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room F‑101, Parliament House, with counting set for the same evening under Returning Officer P.C. Mody.
• Members of both Houses, including nominated Rajya Sabha members, will vote by secret ballot using the single transferable vote system.
• The ruling alliance is estimated to command about 422 votes against a victory threshold of roughly 394, giving CP Radhakrishnan a clear arithmetic edge.
• Opposition leaders urged MPs to vote by conscience and held a mock poll to familiarise members with the ballot procedure ahead of the contest.
• A late-stage optics row erupted after INDIA bloc candidate B. Sudarshan Reddy met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, drawing sharp criticism from BJP leaders who noted Lalu is not part of the electoral college.