M Venkaiah Naidu was on Saturday elected the 13th vice-president of India. The term of vice-president M Hamid Ansari ends on August 10. President Ram Nath Kovind will administer Naidu the oath of office next week. It would mark Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members occupying the top four constitutional posts — that of the President, vice-president, prime minister and the speaker.
The electoral college to elect the vice-president comprises all the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members. Fourteen members remained absent and 11 ballots were declared invalid. Of the 760 valid votes, Naidu received 516 votes. Opposition candidate