NDA’s Radhakrishnan Takes on INDIA Bloc’s Reddy
India is voting today to elect its next Vice President, nearly two months after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down citing health reasons. The contest is between Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, fielded by the ruling NDA, and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc.
Polling began at 10 am on September 9 in the new Parliament building’s Vasudha Hall, with counting starting after 6 pm.
How the Vice President is Elected
The election follows a secret ballot system conducted by an electoral college comprising all Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs. This includes:
- 245 Rajya Sabha MPs
- 543 Lok Sabha MPs
- 12 nominated Rajya Sabha members, who are also eligible to vote
While the total strength of the electoral college is 788, the current effective strength is 781, with six seats vacant in Rajya Sabha and one in Lok Sabha.
Who Skipped the Polls?
Some key players chose to stay away:
- Biju Janata Dal (BJD) – 7 MPs
- Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) – 4 MPs
- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – 1 MP
- Independent MPs Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa
With these abstentions, around 14 MPs are not voting in this election.
Numbers Favour NDA, but Margin May Be Slim
- NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan has the backing of about 425 MPs (excluding YSR Congress Party).
- INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy is supported by 324 MPs.
That means 384 votes are needed for a clear win. Even with abstentions, the arithmetic favours the BJP-led NDA, though the margin is expected to be relatively narrow compared to past contests.
First Election in New Parliament Building
This is the first vice-presidential election to be held in Vasudha Hall of the new Parliament building, marking a significant moment in India’s parliamentary history.
“The polling will take place from 10 am and close at 5 pm on September 9 and the result will be declared on Tuesday,” the Rajya Sabha Secretariat confirmed.
