New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- The 17th vice presidential election will be held on September 9, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Friday, days after Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt resignation on July 21. The election notification will be issued on August 7, and August 21 will be the last date for filing nominations. The nominations will be scrutinised on August 22. The candidatures can be withdrawn until August 25. The ECI is required to fill the vice president's post as soon as possible as per the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Constitution. The polling, if required, shall take place in room number F-101, Vasudha, on the first floor of Parliament building on September 9 between 10 am and 5 pm. The results will be announced on the same day. The electoral college for the election comprises 788 members of Parliament, including 233 elected and 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and 543 elected Lok Sabha lawmakers. Five vacancies in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha, in Basirhat in West Bengal, bring the strength of the electoral college to 782. Of the five vacancies in the Rajya Sabha, four are from Jammu and Kashmir, and one from Punjab. The seat from Punjab was vacated after AAP leader Sanjeev Arora quit following his election to the state assembly in a bypoll last month. The effective strength of both the Houses together is 782 and the winning candidate will require 391 votes, considering that all eligible voters exercise their franchise. Each vote holds equal value (one vote per member). The election is conducted through a system of proportional representation through the single transferable vote. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance has 293 members in the Lok Sabha and 133 in the Rajya Sabha. The ruling NDA has a comfortable edge in the ensuing poll. The ECI said voting would be conducted by secret ballot and electors must mark their preferences using a special pen provided at the polling booth. "Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting," the ECI said in a statement. The Election Commission has appointed the Rajya Sabha Secretary General as the Returning Officer and two officials of Rajya Sabha Secretariat as Assistant Returning Officers for the vice presidential election. At least 20 proposers and 20 seconders from the electoral college must subscribe to a nomination paper. Each candidate can submit up to four nomination papers. A security deposit of Rs.15,000 must be paid either at the time of nomination or in advance through the Reserve Bank of India or a government treasury. Political parties are prohibited from issuing whips to their members for this election. Any violation of secrecy or improper voting procedure results in cancellation of the ballot. "There is no concept of open voting in this election, and showing the ballot to anyone under any circumstances is prohibited," the ECI said. The ECI has released a Rs.50 booklet detailing vice-presidential elections. A list of the electoral college is available for Rs.100. It said it would appoint observers for polling and counting, and that the entire process would be conducted in an eco-friendly manner. The ECI has directed the returning officer to avoid the use of plastic and promote biodegradable materials in line with the government instructions. A person cannot be elected as the vice president unless he is a citizen of India, has completed 35 years of age and is qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha. A person is also not eligible if he holds any office of profit under the government of India or a state government or any subordinate local authority. Article 66 (1) of the Constitution provides that the vice presidential election shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot. In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates. The vice president is the second highest constitutional office in the country. He/she serves for a five-year term, but can continue to be in office, irrespective of the expiry of the term, until the successor assumes office....