CP Radhakrishnan To Be India’s 15th Vice President, Defeats Sudershan Reddy By Big Margin – Delhi News Daily

Last Updated:September 09, 2025, 20:17 IST

MPs from Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Independents among 13 lawmakers who abstained from the election

CP Radhakrishnan is NDA VP candidate (File image)

NDA nominee C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday won the Vice President election, defeating the opposition’s B Sudershan Reddy by a big margin of 152 votes.

As many as 452 lawmakers voted for Radhakrishnan in the election, which was necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar. Radhakrishnan will meet BJP MPs at Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s residence in New Delhi. Radhakrishnan is likely to take the oath as the fifteenth Vice President of India on September 12.

767 MPs cast votes in the election, of which 15 were declared invalid. 788 members of the electoral college for the vice presidential election, since seven seats (6 seats in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha) are vacant.

The NDA had the support of 427 MPs on paper, and YSRCP’s 11 lawmakers also voted for Radhakrishnan. But the NDA nominee got 14 more votes than their tally, leading to speculation of cross-voting by MPs from the opposition camp.

MPs from Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Independents among 13 lawmakers who abstained from the election.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh earlier said that all 315 opposition MPs turned up for the voting. However, Reddy got 300 votes, leaving a suspense of where these 15 votes went.

“The Opposition has stood united. ALL of its 315 MPs have turned up for voting. This is an unprecedented 100% turnout,” he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Congress sources told CNN-News18 that the party will hold a meeting to look into cross-voting.

BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said that the NDA camp was confident of crossing the 450-mark in the voting. “We were relaxed that we had reached our goal. It was on their side that people thought that they should not vote for one of the urban naxals, and did not vote for the opposition candidate. We were sure we would cross the 450-mark. We had a discussion with the opposition MPs,” Jaiswal said.

Radhakrishnan, a BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu, is presently the Governor of Maharashtra. His political career began with his affiliation with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Jan Sangh.

The 67-year-old has served as a two-term member of the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He later went on to lead the saffron party in Tamil Nadu.

Congratulatory Wishes Pour In For V-P Elect Radhakrishan

While wishing Radhakrishnan, President Droupadi Murmu said his rich experience in public life will contribute significantly to the nation’s progress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Radhakrishnan on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election and said 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,” he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated Radhakrishnan 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,” he wrote on X.

Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, also wished Radhakrishnan for victory and raised questions on Dhankar’s “unceremonious” exit.

“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,” he wrote on X.

Saurabh Verma

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter –twitter.com/saurabhkverma19

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