C P Radhakrishnan has been elected as India’s next Vice President, securing a decisive win as the NDA’s candidate in Tuesday’s election. He garnered 452 votes, defeating joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy, who managed 300. The election, necessitated after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation, saw a direct contest between the two camps.
High Voter Turnout in Vice President Election
Voting began at 10 am and concluded at 5 pm, with the electoral college—comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha—having an overall strength of 781. Official sources told PTI that over 98 per cent of MPs cast their votes, with only 12 abstaining.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the opposition displayed remarkable unity. “The Opposition has stood united in the elections and all of its 315 MPs have turned up for voting. This is an unprecedented 100 per cent turnout,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to cast his ballot in Room No. 101 Vasudha at the new Parliament building, accompanied by Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jitendra Singh and L Murugan.
“Voted in the 2025 Vice President election,” Modi posted on X before heading to flood-affected regions of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Among the early voters were senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Harivansh, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Nasser Hussain, along with SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav.
Notably, 92-year-old Deve Gowda arrived in a wheelchair, while Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge walked hand in hand to the booth.
While the NDA entered the contest with a numerical edge—holding 425 MPs in the electoral college against the opposition bloc’s 324—Reddy emphasised that the fight was symbolic. “I am only trying to awaken the conscience of the people. This is a fight for the Constitution; it will continue. I thank the people for the love I got and the response of the civil society,” he said.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had expressed confidence earlier in the day, telling reporters, “We are not just assured, but confident of victory.”
Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid, currently lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 in a terror funding case investigated by the NIA, was brought under police custody to cast his vote following court permission.
Prominent MPs across parties, including TMC leaders Saugata Roy, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shatrughan Sinha and Abhishek Banerjee, as well as AAP’s Harbhajan Singh and Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, also exercised their franchise.
The majority mark for the polls was set at 391. With 452 votes in his favour, Radhakrishnan comfortably crossed the threshold to become the country’s new Vice President.
