New Delhi witnessed a crucial political moment on Tuesday as Members of Parliament began voting to elect the country’s next Vice President. The contest, sparked by Jagdeep Dhankhar’s unexpected resignation on July 21 due to health reasons, has brought the NDA’s candidate, C P Radhakrishnan, face-to-face with Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy, who represents the Congress-led INDIA bloc.
The voting commenced at 10 a.m. in Parliament House, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi casting the very first ballot. Accompanied by senior ministers Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jitendra Singh, and L Murugan, Modi entered Room No. 101 Vasudha to complete the formalities before heading to flood-hit states in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. He later shared on X, “Voted in the 2025 Vice President election.”
Among those who arrived early were Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda—who came in a wheelchair at the age of 92—alongside Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Jairam Ramesh. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was seen walking hand in hand with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a rare show of camaraderie across political lines.
The electoral college for the Vice Presidential election comprises 781 MPs, of which 542 belong to the Lok Sabha and 238 to the Rajya Sabha. With a majority mark fixed at 391, the NDA appears confident with 425 MPs backing its nominee, including support from the YSR Congress Party’s 11 members. On the other hand, the Opposition commands 324 MPs. The BJD with 7 members and BRS with 4 have chosen to abstain, while SAD has declared a boycott. Independents remain undecided, although RLP’s Hanuman Beniwal and Azad Samaj Party’s Chandrashekhar Azad recently met with the INDIA bloc candidate, hinting at potential support.
Both alliances prepared meticulously ahead of polling day. The NDA appointed six Union Ministers to oversee voting, ensuring every ballot is valid. Training sessions were conducted for MPs to avoid errors, reflecting the high stakes of the election. Ministers like Kiren Rijiju, Prahlad Joshi, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai have been tasked with supervising voting across regions.
Polling will end at 5 p.m., after which counting begins at 6 p.m. Results are anticipated between 7 and 7:30 p.m., deciding whether Radhakrishnan or Reddy will succeed Dhankhar as India’s new Vice President.
