Live: Counting of votes in VP elections begins

New Delhi: 6.00 pm: Counting of votes for the Vice Presidential elections begins.

3.30 pm: As many as 600 electors from an effective electoral college of 787 members of Parliament had cast their vote by 1 pm, Hamid Ansari's election agent and senior advocate Pravin Parekh said.

2.30 pm: Brisk polling witnessed in the Vice Presidential poll.

11.00 am: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi cast their votes.

10.31 am: Wish me luck, says Opposition NDA's nominee Jaswant Singh.

10.29 am: PM Manmohan Singh expected to vote at 11 am.

10.20 am: Voting for the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning.

The voting in the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning. Ruling coalition UPA's nominee and Vice President Hamid Ansari faces NDA candidate Jaswant Singh for the post.

Ansari's win in the election is a foregone conclusion with the numbers stacked in his favour.

While the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday decided to abstain from voting in the poll, key UPA ally, the Trinamool Congress, indicated support for Ansari, who is expected to comfortably defeat Jaswant Singh.

BJD's decision is seen as a blow for Jaswant Singh who was hoping to rope in support from the party. He had earlier said that he was confident of getting the support of the BJD and the AIADMK. The latter said it will support the NDA nominee.

Numbers point to Ansari win

A look at the numbers show that ruling coalition UPA's confidence in their nominee's performance is not misplaced.

The MPs form the Electoral College. The winner needs 394 votes. UPA, along with SP and BSP and other Bihar parties has a tally of 451. Most of the Left Front parties and the Janata Dal Secular too are backing Ansari. Of 16 independent MPs, 10 are supporting Ansari. Ten nominated members may also support him.

Even with AIADMK backing, NDA's Jaswant Singh only has a tally of 231.

The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Biju Janta Dal are abstaining from the polls.

A total of 42 papers were filed by 31 candidates during the 14-day nomination process, of which four sets of papers submitted by Ansari and three sets submitted by Singh were accepted. The nomination papers of 29 others were rejected on various grounds.

(With additional information from PTI)