While many in our country are eligible to cast vote, few are enthusiastic about it. But ‘Every vote counts’ and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proven the same.
As the term of incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10, members of both Houses of Parliament are voting to elect the next Vice-President of India on Saturday.
Out of all the members from Lower and Upper House, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was among a few to cast his vote during early hours. The voting began at 10 am.
89 years old former PM, who is ailing and has not been in spotlight since testing Covid positive last year grabbed the attention of social media after he came on a wheelchair on Saturday for Vice Presidential Election 2022.
Not only this, he reached Parliament during Presidential Election 2022 too on 18 July also to cast his vote.
Applauding his move and duty towards democracy, many Twitter users gave him a round of applause.
“Manmohan Singh, former Prime Minister of India and Congress leader, casts his vote in the Parliament for the 16th Presidential election in a wheelchair. Long Lives Singhji, Long Lives India!,” a Twitter user wrote.
Singh was reportedly among the first few electors to cast his vote in the initial two hours of the presidential poll. When Singh reached the ballot box, he was helped by officials to get up from his wheelchair and cast his vote.
The two-time former PM took a leave for the entire Winter Session of Parliament last year on health groundsand was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on October 13 last year after he complained of weakness following a fever.
Meanwhile, here is all you need to know about voting exercise.
How do Elections work
- The Lok Sabha – The lower house of the Indian Parliament is also known as the House of the People. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected through general elections. These elections take place every five years. There are two members of the Lok Sabha who will be nominated by the President of India. Currently the Lok Sabha has 545 members. Two members represent the Anglo-Indian community, while the other 543 are elected for five-year terms.
- The Rajya Sabha – The upper house of the Indian Parliament is also known as the Council of States. The members are elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies, and the Electoral college of the Union Territories. Therefore, the members of the Rajya Sabha are indirectly elected by the people. The Rajya Sabha has 245 members out of which 233 members are elected for 6-year terms. One-third of the house retires every two years.
- Prime Minister – The Prime Minister is elected by the elected members of the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha is the lower house of parliament in India.
- President – The President of India is elected for a 5-year term by an electoral college which consists of members of the State Legislatures and Federal Legislatures.
- Vice President – The Vice President is elected by an electoral college which includes members of the Rajya Sabha and of the Lok Sabha. The nominated members of the mentioned houses are also eligible to vote in the election process.