CP Radhakrishnan Becomes India’s 15th Vice President After Winning 452 Votes in Polls

CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate and Maharashtra Governor, has been elected as India's new Vice President. He defeated B Sudershan Reddy from the INDIA bloc with a total of 452 votes. In comparison, Jagdeep Dhankhar won in 2022 with 528 votes, while Venkaiah Naidu secured victory in 2017 with 516 votes.

The election saw a total of 767 votes cast, out of which 752 were valid and 15 were invalid. Voting took place at Parliament House between 10 am and 5 pm, using a secret ballot system. The counting began at 6 pm, overseen by a Returning Officer appointed by the Election Commission on a rotational basis.

Electoral Support for NDA

The numbers were always in favour of Radhakrishnan. The Vice President is chosen by an electoral college consisting of 233 elected Rajya Sabha members (with five seats vacant), 12 nominated Rajya Sabha members, and 543 Lok Sabha members (one seat vacant). This totals to 788 members, though only 781 MPs were eligible to vote.

NDA's support comes from around 439 MPs, strengthened further by backing from the YSR Congress Party. With BJD and BRS abstaining from voting, Radhakrishnan's path was likely eased. Meanwhile, Reddy received support not only from the INDIA bloc but also from AAP, which had recently distanced itself from the Opposition alliance.

Role and Responsibilities

As the newly elected Vice President, Radhakrishnan will serve as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. His responsibilities include overseeing parliamentary proceedings and maintaining protocol. Additionally, he will act as President whenever there is a vacancy or if the current President is unable to fulfill their duties.

The election for India's Vice President follows Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution. The Election Commission conducts these elections under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act of 1952.

This election was necessitated after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned in July due to health issues. As Radhakrishnan assumes his new role, he steps into one of India's highest constitutional positions.