NEW DELHI, Aug 6 � UPA nominee Hamid Ansari appears set to get a second term as Vice President by emerging a clear winner against NDA�s Jaswant Singh in a direct contest for the post tomorrow, reports PTI.
The election for the post of Vice President has seen UPA and its allies, the Left as also other parties supporting it from outside backing the incumbent.
A total of 788 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs are eligible to vote in the poll to elect the 14th Vice President.
UPA managers are confident that 75-year-old Ansari is set to get at least 500 votes in a contest in which Ansari has a definite edge as far as the arithmetic is concerned.
Congress itself has 204 members in Lok Sabha and 71 in Rajya Sabha. UPA constituents Trinamool Congress has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha, DMK has 18 members in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha, NCP 9 in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha and RLD has 5 in Lok Sabha. National Conference has 3 in Lok Sabha and 2 in Rajya Sabha.
Besides, SP with its 22 members in Lok Sabha and 9 in Rajya Sabha and BSP with its 21 in Lok Sabha and 15 in Rajya Sabha are backing Ansari who is also being backed by the entire Left block with 38 members in both Houses of Parliament.
Unlike the Presidential poll held last month, which had split NDA with JD-U and Shiv Sena breaking ranks to vote for UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, Jaswant Singh has the backing of a united NDA for his Vice Presidential bid.
BJP has 114 members in Lok Sabha and 49 in Rajya Sabha, JD-U 20 and 9, Shiv Sena 11 and 4 and SAD 4 and 3.
While AIADMK, which has 14 MPs in Parliament, today announced its support to Singh�s candidature, BJD with 18 members in Lok Sabha and 7 in the Rajya Sabha has decided to abstain from voting.
Ahead of the poll, UPA Chaiperson Sonia Gandhi today hosted a lunch for UPA constituents and the parties supporting it from outside, which projected a complete picture of unity.
