India Decides Its Next VP Today: Radhakrishnan vs Reddy
Voting until 5 pm, counting post 6 pm; NDA confident of numbers while INDIA bloc banks on optics.
- Voting from 10 am to 5 pm; counting starts after 6 pm.
- NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan vs INDIA bloc’s Justice Reddy.
- NDA has 427 MPs, well above the 386 majority mark.
- BJD and BRS abstaining; YSRCP backing NDA.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th Sept: India will have a new Vice President by nightfall, with voting for the high-stakes election taking place today between the BJP-led NDA’s candidate, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, and the INDIA bloc’s choice, former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy.
The election follows the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down citing ill health during the Monsoon session. The ruling alliance was quick to announce Radhakrishnan as its choice, a move widely seen as strategic given next year’s Tamil Nadu elections. The opposition, after initial speculation about fielding a Tamil face, settled on Justice Reddy to send a message of strength.
The NDA holds a comfortable edge with 427 MPs across both Houses, well above the 386-vote majority mark, even after the BJD and BRS announced their abstention. The bloc also enjoys support from the YSR Congress. To avoid any slip-ups, the BJP has deployed “man-to-man marking,” assigning senior ministers to shepherd groups of MPs through the day.
On the other hand, the INDIA bloc, with 315 MPs, faces challenges of its own. While the Aam Aadmi Party’s 12 MPs are expected to back Justice Reddy, internal rifts could play out, particularly after recent clashes within the party. Congress and its allies admit that victory is unlikely but believe forcing a contest will highlight their improved strength compared to 2022, when Dhankhar secured a landslide.
Meanwhile, the BJP has mounted a strong attack on the opposition’s choice. Home Minister Amit Shah pointed to Justice Reddy’s 2011 judgement against state-backed militias in the Salwa Judum case, calling it evidence of “helping Naxalism.”
Despite the heated exchanges, analysts agree that Radhakrishnan is poised to win comfortably. For the INDIA bloc, however, the contest remains a battle of optics ahead of key elections in Bihar, Bengal, and Tamil Nadu.
