CP Radhakrishnan Elected 15th Vice President of India

New Delhi: NDA candidate and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan was on Tuesday elected the 15th Vice President of India, defeating the INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy by a comfortable margin.

The electoral college, comprising Members of Parliament, saw Radhakrishnan garner 452 votes against Reddy’s 300.

The results, announced by Returning Officer PC Mody, revealed a massive turnout of 98.2 per cent, with 767 out of 788 eligible MPs casting their votes.The victory margin was widely anticipated; however, the voting figures exposed fissures within the opposition alliance. Reddy’s tally of 300 votes fell short of the bloc’s claimed strength, indicating substantial cross-voting by several Opposition MPs in favour of the NDA candidate.

Of the total votes cast, 752 were declared valid while 15 were invalidated. Notably, thirteen MPs abstained from the voting process. These included seven from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), four from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), one from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and one independent member.

The Vice President also serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.