CP Radhakrishnan Is India's New Vice President, Beats Reddy By 152 Votes

New Delhi: NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan was elected as India's 15th Vice President on Tuesday after he secured 452 votes, defeating INDIA bloc's nominee, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, who got 300 votes.

Addressing the media, Returning Officer PC Mody while announcing the results, said, "There are 781 electors (MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). Out of these, 767 electors have cast their votes. The total electoral turnout was 98.2 percent."

"Out of the total votes polled, 752 were valid and 15 were invalid. The value of votes for the Vice Presidential election is one. B Sudershan Reddy has secured 300 first preference votes and CP Radhakrishnan has secured 452 first preference votes. CP Radhakrishnan has been duly elected to the office of the Vice President of India," Mody said.

The voting process to elect the Vice President ended at 5 pm on Tuesday and the counting of votes began an hour later in the same room. Results were declared over two hours later.

The voting was held by secret ballot with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first to cast his vote. Following the PM, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi cast their votes. MPs Sheikh Abdul Rashid and Amritpal Singh, who are in preventive detention, voted via postal ballots.

The electoral college consisted of 781 members (238 Rajya Sabha and 542 Lok Sabha members) with six seats vacant in Rajya Sabha and one in Lok Sabha. The majority mark is at 391.

NDA has 426 MPs and Opposition 324 members. YSRCP with 11 members supported the NDA, increasing its support base to 437. BRS and BJD abstained from the polls. Thus, the NDA nominee had a numerical advantage over INDIA bloc's candidate.

The polls were necessitated following former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation in July.

INDIA bloc candidate Reddy conceded defeat and wished Radhakrishnan "the very best as he embarks upon his tenure".

"Today, the MPs have rendered their verdict in the election for the office of the Vice President of India. I humbly accept this outcome with an abiding faith in the democratic processes of our great Republic. This journey has been a profound honour, offering me the opportunity to stand for the values that have guided my life - constitutional morality, justice, and the dignity of every individual. Though the result is not in my favour, the larger cause we have collectively sought to advance remains undiminished. The ideological battle continues with ever greater vigour," the former Supreme Court judge said in a statement.

"I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the leaders of the Opposition parties who made me their joint candidate. Our democracy is strengthened not by victory alone, but by the spirit of dialogue, dissent, and participation. I remain committed, as a citizen, to upholding the ideals of equality, fraternity, and liberty that bind us together. May our Constitution continue to be the guiding light of our national life," he said.

"I wish the Vice President-elect Shri CP Radhakrishnan the very best as he embarks upon his tenure," added Reddy, who resides in Hyderabad.

President Droupadi Murmi extended wishes to Radhakrishnan. In a post on X, Murmu said, "Congratulations to Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan on being elected as the Vice President of India! Your decades of rich experience in public life will contribute significantly to the nation’s progress. I extend my best wishes to you for a successful and impactful tenure."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Radhakrishnan on the win. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Congratulations to Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election. His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse."

Later, PM Modi also met Radhakrishnan and congratulated him on winning the election.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was one of the first BJP leaders to congratulate Radhakrishnan after he was elected as the Vice President. In a post on X, Shah said, "Congratulations to Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan Ji on being elected as the Vice President of India. I firmly believe that your sagacity as a leader who has risen from the grassroots of the society and profound knowledge about administration will help us in bringing out the best in our parliamentary democracy to serve the marginalised. I extend my warmest wishes to you for your journey as the custodian of the sanctity of the Upper House."

Congress chief and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha expressed hope that the new Vice President will uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions.

In a post on X, Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, said, "Best wishes to Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan on securing victory in the Vice Presidential election. We extend our sincere gratitude to Shri B. Sudershan Reddy garu, the united Opposition’s joint candidate, for his spirited and principled fight. This was more than an election; it was a battle of ideology, reaffirming that governments with authoritarian tendencies must be checked to protect our Constitution and Democracy. We hope the new Vice President-elect will uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions, ensuring equal space and dignity for the Opposition, and not succumb to pressures of the ruling dispensation. The Vice President, the second highest Constitutional office in the order of precedence, must be revitalised to reflect independence, fairness, and strength in safeguarding Democratic values. We must also remember why this election was necessitated. Shri Jagdeep Dhankar resigned suddenly on the very day he chaired the opening of the Monsoon Session—an exit still unexplained and unceremonious. As we move forward, transparency, accountability, and respect for Constitutional positions must guide our institutions in letter and spirit."

Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh downplayed the loss of the INDIA bloc candidate Sudershan Reddy. In a post on X, Ramesh said, "The Opposition stood united for the Vice Presidential election. Its performance has undeniably been most respectable. Its joint candidate Justice (retd) B. Sudershan Reddy secured 40% of the vote. In 2022, the Opposition had received 26% of the vote in the Vice Presidential Elections. The BJP's arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat. The ideological battle continues undiminished."

BJP sources said that Radhakrishnan is likely to take the oath on September 12 in New Delhi. Radhakrishnan will now resign as the Maharashtra Governor. Radhakrishnan is the third Vice President from Tamil Nadu after S Radhakrishnan (1952 to 1962) and R Venkatraman (1984 to 1987).

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