CP Radhakrishnan Wins Vice Presidential Election by 452 Votes. Opposition INDIA Bloc MPs Allegedly Cross-Voted. Total 767 Votes Cast, 15 Invalid. Shiv Sena Confirms Five Maharashtra MPs Supported NDA.
Maharashtra: The opposition INDIA bloc has suffered a significant setback in the 2025 Vice Presidential election. NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan emerged victorious with 452 votes, while the opposition's joint candidate, B. Sudarshan Reddy, secured only 300 votes. Out of a total of 781 members, 767 cast their votes. Of these, 15 votes were declared invalid. This result has raised questions within the opposition camp about whether some MPs engaged in cross-voting.
Maharashtra's Shiv Sena (UBT) has claimed that five MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray faction were in contact with them during the voting and cast their votes for the NDA candidate. Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam stated that MPs from Sharad Pawar's faction also voted for the NDA. The opposition was estimated to have 324 votes, but they received only 300.
Disagreement Emerges in the Opposition Camp
Sanjay Nirupam said that opposition leaders were making different claims since morning that NDA's votes would be divided, but after the results came, the NDA received more votes than their stipulated numbers. The NDA received 16 additional votes, while 15 votes were cancelled, or some MPs were absent. He added that the YSRCP also supported the NDA. Sanjay Nirupam questioned who these 16 additional votes belonged to, a question for which the opposition has no clear answer.
Sanjay Raut's Stance
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut stated that they received all their 315 votes. 15 votes were declared invalid, but he did not clarify the reasons. He maintained that his faction remained completely honest with their votes. This statement further amplified the confusion and disagreement within the opposition.
A Major Blow to the Opposition
The INDIA alliance had expected B. Sudarshan Reddy to receive at least 320 votes, but he managed to get only 300. This outcome has led to disappointment and questions among the opposition's strategists. BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal remarked that approximately 40 opposition MPs listened to their inner conscience and voted in support of the NDA candidate in some form.
