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The Constitution, Made Understandable.

Article 66

Electoral College, System, and Qualifications for Vice-President

Official heading: “Election of Vice-President”

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Source edition
The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
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Part V, Article 66, printed pages 30–31
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1. In One Sentence

Article 66 provides that the Vice-President is elected by an electoral college of members of both Houses of Parliament through proportional representation by single transferable vote, and sets out qualification criteria.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 66 establishes the electoral process for the Vice-President of India. Unlike the presidential election, state legislators do not participate. The Vice-President is elected exclusively by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).

Following the Eleventh Amendment Act, 1961, members vote individually rather than in a joint session. Both elected and nominated MPs participate in this election, using proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (STV) and secret ballot.

Clauses (2), (3), and (4) set out the conditions: the Vice-President cannot be a member of either House of Parliament or a State Legislature (deemed to vacate any existing seat on assuming office), must be an Indian citizen, at least thirty-five years old, qualified for election to Rajya Sabha, and cannot hold any office of profit (with exceptions for Ministers and Governors).

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A distinguished scientist nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President casts a ballot in the vice-presidential election.

Core takeaway: Under Article 66(1), nominated members of Parliament are fully entitled to vote in the election of the Vice-President.
Illustrative Notice: Those same nominated MPs are barred from voting in presidential elections under Article 54, reflecting the deliberate distinction between the two offices.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 66 details the parliamentary electoral college and eligibility rules for the Vice-Presidency.

  • Electoral college composed of all MPs (both elected and nominated) of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
  • Voting method: Proportional representation with single transferable vote and secret ballot.
  • Eligibility: Citizen of India, at least 35 years old, and qualified for Rajya Sabha election.
  • Office of profit bar prevents commercial conflicts of interest while exempting political officeholders.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) The Vice-President shall be elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament 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. (2) The Vice-President shall not be a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature of any State, and if a member of either House of Parliament or of a House of the Legislature of any State be elected Vice-President, he shall be deemed to have vacated his seat in that House on the date on which he enters upon his office as Vice-President. (3) No person shall be eligible for election as Vice-President unless he— (a) is a citizen of India; (b) has completed the age of thirty-five years; and (c) is qualified for election as a member of the Council of States. (4) A person shall not be eligible for election as Vice-President if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments. Explanation.—For the purposes of this article, a person shall not be deemed to hold any office of profit by reason only that he is the President or Vice-President of the Union or the Governor of any State or is a Minister either for the Union or for any State.
Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata
  • •
    Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
    Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 66, printed pages 30–31 • Human source-link check pending

    Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource

Related Constitutional Articles to Explore:

Go to ARTICLE 54 →Go to ARTICLE 63 →Go to ARTICLE 67 →Go to ARTICLE 71 →