NDA candidate for Vice President post, CP Radhakrishnan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his nomination filing for the VP election (file photo)
| Photo Credit:
ANI
With voting for the Vice President’s election scheduled for Tuesday, regional parties Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have announced they will abstain from voting, citing a policy of equidistance from both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc.
The contest sees NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan, a senior BJP leader and Governor of Maharashtra, against former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, the joint candidate of the opposition, in a direct contest. The election comes after the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, ahead of the completion of his tenure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first to vote on Tuesday morning.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Ram Mohan Naidu and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde have been named as election agents for the Vice Presidential polls.
Mock poll
A day ahead of the vote, leaders from multiple opposition parties gathered in a show of unity at the old parliament building. The meeting brought together top leaders of the Congress, DMK, TMC, RJD, SP, JMM, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), CPI, and CPI(M).
SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav welcomed attendees, while Congress’ chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, briefed MPs on voting procedures. Opposition MPs were also asked to be cautious and avoid invalid votes — an issue that affected previous polls. A mock poll was held to familiarise members with the process.
The vice presidential election is held via secret ballot, and MPs are not bound by party whips. Voters must write ‘1’ against the name of their preferred candidate on the ballot paper.
The NDA also held a separate meeting of its MPs and conducted a mock poll to ensure preparedness.
Political drama
Meanwhile, joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy faced criticism from a group of 25 prominent legal professionals for meeting RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, a convicted figure in the fodder scam.
In a joint statement, legal luminaries including senior advocates Pinky Anand, Sanjay Jain, Sonia Mathur, and Anil Soni questioned the propriety of a former Supreme Court judge seeking a high constitutional office while meeting a convicted politician.
“Such an engagement raises serious questions about his judgment and propriety,” the statement read, adding that the meeting had “no legitimate political purpose” as Lalu Prasad is not a member of the electoral college.
They further criticised what they called the “conspicuous silence” of certain political factions, alleging selective outrage and partisan conduct.
The Vice Presidential election will be held on Tuesday, in Room F-101 of the Parliament House. Counting will begin at 6 PM, and results will be declared the same evening.
The electoral college strength is 782 members — 543 from the Lok Sabha (1 vacant) and 245 from the Rajya Sabha (6 vacant, including 4 from J&K, 1 from Punjab).
The NDA, said BJP leaders, has the support of 425 MPs, which is above the majority mark of 391 votes. The opposition hopes to get the support of 324 MPs.
Published on September 8, 2025
