New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- Congress leader Imran Masood on Tuesday expressed hope in INDIA bloc candidate B Sudershan Reddy winning the Vice Presidential polls, calling it the "election to save the soul of the nation."

"This is an election to save the soul of the nation...I am hopeful that we will emerge victorious," Masood told ANI outside Parliament premises.

While the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seems to have a comfortable majority of 427 votes, well above the needed 391 votes, the INDIA bloc hopes for cross-voting to achieve victory. Currently, the INDIA bloc candidate is only backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the Lower House and 105 in the Upper House.

Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha ...