Voting is underway in Parliament today for the Vice Presidential post. The contest is between NDA candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan and B. Sudarshan Reddy from the opposition. Vote counting will take place in the evening, and the results will be announced late at night.
VC Election 2025: The decision on who will be the next Vice President of the country will be determined by the voting taking place today. The BJP-led NDA has fielded Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan as their candidate. On the other hand, the INDIA Alliance has nominated former Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy.
This contest is being considered interesting in political circles. However, based on the numbers, the BJP alliance has a clear lead and appears confident of its victory.
Why the Post Became Vacant
The second highest constitutional office in the country became vacant following the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar due to health reasons. Subsequently, the Election Commission initiated the process for the Vice Presidential election.
Voting Time and Procedure
Today (Tuesday), Members of Parliament will cast their votes in the Parliament House from 10 AM to 5 PM. Counting of votes will begin at 6 PM, and the results may be announced by late night.
A unique aspect of this election is that the party whip does not apply to MPs. This means MPs can vote according to their preference through a secret ballot. Each MP will have to indicate their first preference by writing '1' next to the name of the candidate on the ballot paper. They can also indicate their second and third preferences if they wish.
Why EVMs Are Not Used
The process for the Vice Presidential election differs from Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Here, voting takes place under the system of proportional representation based on the single transferable vote.
For this reason, it is not possible to use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in this election. Voters, i.e., MPs, will only mark their preferences on a ballot paper.
Who is Ahead in the Numbers Game
The electoral college for the Vice Presidential post comprises a total of 788 members. This includes 245 Rajya Sabha and 543 Lok Sabha members. Additionally, 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha can also vote. In the current scenario, 781 members of the electoral college will vote as 7 seats are vacant.
- 391 votes will be required to win.
- The NDA has 425 MPs.
- The opposition alliance has 324 MPs.
YSRCP's 11 MPs have announced their support for the NDA. Meanwhile, BRS and BJD have decided to abstain from voting. In this context, the numbers clearly indicate that the NDA candidate is in a b position.
NDA Candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan
The NDA has nominated Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan for the post of Vice President. The 67-year-old Radhakrishnan is a BJP leader from Tamil Nadu. He belongs to the Gounder-Kongu Vellalar community, considered an influential OBC group in the state.
Radhakrishnan is known within the party as a soft-spoken and non-controversial leader. He has also served as a Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore twice, in 1998 and 1999. He has been serving as the Governor of Maharashtra since July 2024. During his election campaign, he met with MPs from all states to garner support. His clean image and organizational experience are considered the NDA's biggest strengths.
Opposition Candidate B. Sudarshan Reddy
The united opposition has fielded former Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy for the Vice Presidential election. The 79-year-old Reddy retired from the Supreme Court in July 2011 and was known for several significant judgments during his long career.
He made b remarks regarding the government's negligence in black money cases. Furthermore, he declared the Salwa Judum, the Chhattisgarh government's anti-Naxal initiative, unconstitutional, which became a national talking point at the time.
He also served as a judge at the Andhra Pradesh High Court and as the Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court. Additionally, he led an important committee related to the caste-based survey in Telangana. The opposition is presenting Reddy as an experienced and upright candidate, believing that his judicial experience will strengthen Parliament and the democratic system.
