NDA's CP Radhakrishnan is India's next Vice-President
BJP leaders are quick to claim that at least 15 Opposition MPs voted in favour of Radhakrishnan.
NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next vice-president of India on Tuesday (September 9) as he bagged 452 votes against the Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy's 300, winning the contest with a bigger-than-expected margin, indicating cross-voting from the rival camp.
Announcing the result of the vice-presidential election this evening, Rajya Sabha secretary general and returning officer P C Mody said 767 MPs cast their votes out of the total valid electors of 781 in a turnout of 98.2 per cent. He said 752 ballots were valid and 15 were invalid, bringing down the required majority of first preference votes to 377.
Though the victory of Radhakrishnan (67), currently the Maharashtra governor and a seasoned leader with an RSS background and decades-long stint first in the Jan Sangh and then the BJP in Tamil Nadu, was a foregone conclusion due to the ruling alliance's numerical edge but the extent of his victory margin is seen as a setback to the Opposition.
Opposition MPs cast invalid votes?
BJP leaders were quick to claim that at least 15 opposition MPs voted in favour of Radhakrishnan. There were hints from the ruling alliance that some Opposition MPs deliberately cast invalid votes.
"I declare C P Radhakrishnan elected to the post of Vice President of India and the results will be communicated to the Election Commission," Mody said.
BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal claimed that "nearly 40 opposition MPs" listened to the voice of their conscience and voted in "some manner" in support of the NDA candidate, showing a wider acceptance for him. His assertion of support from 40 opposition MPs appeared to include several invalid votes.
Some opposition leaders had appealed to MPs' conscience in the polls to support Reddy, and the senior BJP leader's comments were seen as a retort to them.
"Congratulations to Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election. His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.
"I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse," he said.
Radhakrishnan isIndia's 15th vice president when he is sworn in to the post.
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