New Delhi:  NDA candidate M. Venkaiah Naidu was on Saturday elected as the country's next Vice President, defeating opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi - 516 votes to 244.

Naidu secured 516 votes while Gandhi got 244 votes. Of the 771 votes polled, 11 votes were declared invalid.

"As M. Venkaiah Naidu secured greater than the requisite quota of votes, I declare him as duly elected to the office of the Vice President of India," Secretary General of Rajya Sabha and Returning Officer, Shumsher K. Sheriff, told reporters.

The NDA, which has a majority in the Lok Sabha, found it easy to place its candidate as the next vice president.

The opposition had fielded former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi against Mr Naidu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to cast his vote in parliament.

The voting percentage was 98.21 per cent.

The voting, which began at 10 a.m, saw 771 members casting their votes till 5 p.m., Assistant Returning Officer Mukul Pandey told reporters at Parliament House.

(IANS)