(Image source from: x.com/CPRGuv)

The Election Commission announced on Tuesday that CP Radhakrishnan from the NDA will be India’s next Vice President. In the election held after Jagdeep Dhankhar's unexpected resignation, 427 lawmakers cast their votes for Radhakrishnan. The Election Commission reported that 767 votes were submitted, of which 752 were counted as valid, while 15 were deemed invalid. To choose a winner, the required number of votes was set at 377. The NDA's candidate received 452 votes, whereas the candidate from the INDIA coalition got 300 votes in support. PC Mody, the Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha and the official overseeing the election, stated that voting took place in Room No. F-101, Vasudha, Parliament House, from 10 am to 5 pm. The Opposition characterized the election as an “ideological battle,” although the numerical results benefited the NDA. At the same time, several regional parties, like the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), chose not to participate.

Jai Hind ! pic.twitter.com/SxclXTkNgO

— CP Radhakrishnan (@CPR_VP) September 9, 2025

According to party leaders, this decision aims to emphasize local issues and keep a distance from both the NDA and the Congress-led INDIA coalition. Radhakrishnan, a senior member of the BJP from Tamil Nadu, currently serves as the Governor of Maharashtra. He began his political journey with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Jan Sangh. At 67, he has been a two-term Lok Sabha member for Coimbatore during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's time as Prime Minister and later led the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh mentioned that all 315 opposition MPs participated in the voting. However, Reddy ended up with only 300 votes, raising questions about the whereabouts of the remaining 15 votes. “The Opposition has remained united. ALL of its 315 MPs showed up to vote. This is an impressive 100% turnout,” he posted on X. Sources from Congress indicated that the party will convene to investigate the cross-voting. President Droupadi Murmu is set to administer the oath of office for the Vice President of India on September 12th. Among the 13 lawmakers who did not vote were MPs from Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and some Independents.