NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan has been elected as the Vice President of India, securing 452 votes. The election was a direct contest between Radhakrishnan and Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy, and came after the sudden resignation of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, who stepped down citing health reasons.

The Vice Presidential poll was held on September 9, with members of both Houses of Parliament casting their votes in the new Parliament building. Voting ended at 5 pm and counting began at 6 pm. The results were declared later in the evening, with Radhakrishnan winning comfortably owing to the BJP-led NDA’s strength in Parliament.

PC Mody, the Returning Officer for the Vice Presidential election, told a press conference that 767 MPs, or 98.2% of the total, had cast their votes. He added that 14 MPs did not take part in the process. Counting of votes began at 6 pm on Tuesday, September 9, after more than 98% of MPs voted in the contest between NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan and joint opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy.

Congress sources said that 315 votes went to their vice-presidential candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, suggesting the possibility of cross-voting, with around 9 votes likely going against the party’s line.

All 11 members of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, led by Jagan Mohan Reddy, voted in the election, including 7 Rajya Sabha MPs and 4 Lok Sabha MPs. Members of the Biju Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, and Shiromani Akali Dal abstained from voting. Their choice to stay neutral added to the political dynamics, as their absence may have influenced the final result.