Vice President Election: NDA candidate Radhakrishnan won the vice presidential election by bagging 452 votes, while opposition INDIA bloc’s nominee B Sudershan Reddy polled 300 votes.
The opposition left no stone unturned to ensure that all its 324 MPs cast their votes in the vice-presidential election, but the results came as a surprise to them. According to sources, more than 10 votes from the INDIA bloc were declared invalid. As per the sources, the invalid votes were from key alliance partners, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
10 MPs’ votes were invalid
- AAP: 3
- RJD: 2
- JMM: 1
- Shiv Sena (UBT): 2
As per the reports, many MPs have also cross-voted in favour of the NDA’s candidate, CP Radhakrishnan.
Vice Presidential Election 2025
According to the Returning Officer, P C Mody, a total of 767 MPs cast their ballot in a turnout of 98.2 per cent, of which 752 were valid and 15 votes were deemed invalid. One postal ballot was cancelled as the MP declined to cast the vote. Mody said Radhakrishnan secured 452 first preference votes as against 300 for Reddy.
Radhakrishnan would be India’s 15th vice president when he is sworn in to the post. The poll was necessitated by the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.
The electoral college for the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members – 245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election. The present strength of the electoral college is 781, as six seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha. This puts the majority mark at 391. The NDA has 425 MPs, while the opposition camp has the backing of 324.
However, 14 MPs from three parties and Independent MPs had boycotted the polls. 11 Rajya Sabha members, including seven MPs of the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and four MPs of the KCR-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), are abstaining from voting in the Vice Presidential election. Three Lok Sabha members, including two independents and one Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP, had boycotted the election.
Also Read: NDA-backed CP Radhakrishnan becomes Vice President, defeats INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy
Also Read: 14 MPs who abstained from voting in Vice Presidential Election
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