New Delhi: Voting for the election of the new Vice President of India has concluded in the Parliament House here. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has expressed confidence in the victory of its candidate CP Radhakrishnan. At the same time, Justice (Retd) B Sudarshan Reddy, candidate of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (India) Block, has also expressed confidence in his victory.
About 96 percent of MPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, voted for the Vice Presidential election till 3 pm on Tuesday.
In this election, which became necessary after the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar from the post of Vice President, there is a direct contest between Radhakrishnan and Justice (Retd) Reddy. A total of 782 MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are eligible to vote to decide the fate of both the candidates.
The Vice President is elected by an electoral college. It comprises elected members of the Rajya Sabha, nominated members of the Upper House and elected members of the Lok Sabha, who are elected by single transferable vote through ballot papers as per the proportional representation system.
The voting for the election of the new Vice President, which began at 10 am, concluded at 5 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to cast his vote for the country’s second-highest post.
After casting his vote, Modi wrote on X, “Voted in the Vice Presidential election 2025.” Union Health Minister and BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Praful Patel were among the prominent leaders who cast their votes.
Speaking to reporters, Tourism Minister Shekhawat said, “I am confident of the victory of NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan. He will win by a huge margin.” Coal and Mines Minister Reddy said, “The people of the country know that NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan will win with an absolute majority. In the coming days, he will serve the country with full commitment.”
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra were among the high profile leaders of the India Bloc who cast their votes.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that the opposition’s Vice Presidential candidate B Sudarshan Reddy is likely to win. He said, “We are all working together to ensure his victory.” Earlier, India Bloc candidate Justice (Retd) Reddy, while speaking to reporters, said, “I am fully confident… we will win.”
Before the voting began, BJP-led NDA candidate Radhakrishnan visited Shri Ram Mandir at Lodhi Road and took blessings. It is worth noting that in terms of numbers in both the houses, the BJP-led NDA candidate has an edge over the India Block candidate. The Lok Sabha has 293 members of the NDA and 234 members of the opposition, while the Rajya Sabha has 132 and 77 members respectively. Counting of votes will take place after the voting.
