VP election results: BJP thanks ‘friends’ in Opposition, Congress hits back over 'vote chori' in Parliament

New Delhi: The search for cross-voters in the Vice Presidential elections has begun in the Opposition camp even as they sought to downplay the setback saying there are more numbers like the Prime Minister not answering in Parliament for 4,116 days than 10 or 15 MPs voting here or there.

Opposition candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy bagged just 300 votes out of its estimated strength of 324 while his NDA rival C P Radhakrishnan managed 452 votes, 13 more than what the NDA camp was assured of. Fifteen votes were rendered invalid, amid claims that some were deliberate.

NDA tried to make merry of the discomfort in the I.N.D.I.A bloc with Union Minister Kiren Rijiju thanking “some” Opposition MPs for voting with “conscience for the NDA candidate” while Shiv Sena Lok Sabha leader Shrikant Shinde had a “special word of thanks to the friends” there.

An initial assessment is that all MPs of DMK, Trinamool Congress, Left – CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML)L, Muslim League and RJD among others have voted in favour of Justice Reddy.

However, sources said there are doubts about 3-4 of AAP, three of Shiv Sena (UBT), two MPs of Samajwadi Party, two of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), one or two of JMM and one of Congress have either cross voted or got their votes invalid.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said, “US has imposed tariff 14 days ago, violence erupted in Manipur 861 days ago, JP Nadda has spent 966 days as BJP president beyond his tenure, MNREGA funds has not been transferred to West Bengal for past 1,281 days, Lok Sabha does not have a Deputy Speaker for the past 2,277 days and Prime Minister has not answered a question in Parliament for 4,116 days.”

“These are the more important questions that need to be discussed than discussing 10 or 15 MPs voting here and there,” he said.

Congress Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore wondered why was Rijiju celebrating ‘conscience votes’ from Opposition MPs and why was Shinde thanking I.N.D.I.A MPs for voting with NDA if there was no ‘vote chori’ in the Vice President election. “Is this really conscience (votes)? Or is this CBI/ED pressure and horse trading being justified as conscience?” he said.

"When BJP leaders themselves admit Opposition votes went to NDA, is that not proof of 'vote chori' inside Parliament itself? From Karnataka’s Bengaluru Central to Aadhaar-linked voter suppression to now VP polls, is Modi-Shah model only about winning through 'vote chori? Will democracy survive if Ministers boast about stealing votes instead of respecting mandate? Or will people answer BJP’s 'vote chori politics in 2029?" Tagore added.