NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan trounces Sudershan Reddy 452-300 in Vice President polls that saw cross-voting

New Delhi: NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan was on Tuesday elected as the 15th Vice President of India.

Radhakrishnan defeated Opposition joint candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy 452-300 in an electoral battle that brought cheers to the ruling BJP as it managed to wean away at least 13 MPs from the rival side.

All 767 MPs, barring 14 lawmakers – 7 BJD, 4 BRS, 2 independents and 1 Akali Dal – who announced abstention from the polls, voted in the election that was pitched by the Opposition as 'Constitution versus RSS-BJP'. Among those voted, votes of 15 MPs were declared invalid.

Returning Officer PC Mody announced at the end of counting of votes that Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan got 452 first preference votes and has been elected as the Vice President of India. Justice Reddy secured 300 first preference votes.

The snap election was necessitated by the unexpected exit of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session on July 21, two years and 20 days before his tenure was to end. The immediate trigger that led to the resignation was Dhankhar receiving an impeachment notice against Justice Yashwant Varma from the Opposition, taking the BJP by surprise.

President Doupadi congratulated the Vice President-elect, and said that Radhakrishnan's "decades of rich experience in public life will contribute significantly to the nation’s progress".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 67-year-old leader with RSS background on his victory and said his life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. “I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse,” he said.

Radhakrishnan thanked both the President and the Prime Minister for their wishes.

Soon after the results were out, Justice Reddy congratulated his rival and said, “I humbly accept this outcome with an abiding faith in the democratic processes of our great Republic. This journey has been a profound honour offering me the opportunity to stand for the values that have guided my life – constitutional morality, justice and the dignity of every individual.”

In an apparent reference to their acrimonious relationship with Dhankhar in the Upper House, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said they hope that the new Vice President-elect will uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions, ensuring equal space and dignity for the Opposition, and "not succumb to pressures of the ruling dispensation".

Before the election, Radhakrishnan had a promised vote base of 439, including 11 from YSR Congress, and Justice Reddy 324 votes while preference of four MPs could not be ascertained.

Though the outcome was known, the results have come as a rude shock for the Opposition, which was hoping at least 315-320 votes for Justice Reddy but ended up exposing chinks with at least 13 MPs from its side choosing Radhakrishnan over the former Supreme Court judge. The number of cross-voters could be more.

However, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh sought to find a silver lining in the results saying the opposition “stood completely united” and its performance was “undoubtedly respectable”.

He said Justice Reddy secured 40 per cent votes this time against 26 per cent in 2022 Vice Presidential polls while insisting that the BJP's "arithmetical victory is in reality a defeat both morally and politically. The ideological battle continues unabated".

BJP leaders claimed that at least 15 Opposition MPs voted in favour of Radhakrishnan while deliberately casting invalid votes. Party Chief Whip Sanjay Jaiswal claimed that “nearly 40 Opposition MPs” voted in “some manner”, including by casting invalid votes, in support of Radhakrishnan.