The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee and former Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan has been elected as the 15th Vice President of India, securing 452 votes in the election held today. He contested against the INDIA bloc’s nominee Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, a retired Supreme Court judge.
The election was necessitated after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the position on July 21, citing health reasons. With his victory, Radhakrishnan will now assume office as the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
The Election Process and Results
Voting took place in Parliament between 10 am and 5 pm, where Members of Parliament exercised their franchise. The total number of voters was 788, but with 7 vacant seats, the effective electorate stood at 781. Out of these, 768 MPs cast their votes, while 13 abstained.
The abstentions included BRS (4), BJD (7), Shiromani Akali Dal (1), and Independent MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa (1). The NDA’s strength was further consolidated as 427 MPs of the ruling alliance cast their votes.
Among the abstaining MPs were prominent names such as BJD members Sasmit Patra, Munna Khan, Niranjan Bishi, Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, Sulata Deo, Debashish Samantaray, and Subhashish Khuntia; TDP members KR Suresh Reddy, Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju, Damodar Rao Divakonda, and B Parthasaradhi Reddy; SAD’s Harsimrat Kaur; and Independent MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa. Their absence from the polls gave the NDA candidate a clear edge.
CP Radhakrishnan: “Vajpayee of Coimbatore”
At 68 years of age, CP Radhakrishnan brings decades of political experience. He has served as the Governor of Maharashtra since July 31, 2024, and was earlier the Governor of Jharkhand (Feb 2023 – July 2024).
Radhakrishnan entered politics as a youth member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore (1998 and 1999) and also served as the BJP Tamil Nadu State President (2004–2007).
Known for his friendly ties across political lines, he is often called the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore” for his consensus-building approach. In August 2025, he was formally announced as the NDA candidate for the vice-presidential election.
Justice B. Sudershan Reddy: INDIA Bloc Candidate
The opposition INDIA bloc fielded Justice B. Sudershan Reddy as its candidate. Born on July 8, 1946, Justice Reddy holds a B.A. and LL.B. degree. He enrolled as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh in 1971 and built a long legal career, practising in writ and civil matters.
He served as Government Pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court (1988–90), as Additional Standing Counsel for the Central Government (1990), and later as Legal Adviser and Standing Counsel for Osmania University.
Justice Reddy was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995, later elevated as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005, and finally as a Supreme Court judge in 2007. He retired in July 2011.
The Vice President’s Role and Election Process
The Vice President of India is the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, as laid out in Articles 63, 64, and 89(1) of the Constitution. The Vice President holds a dual role—part of the Executive as the second-highest constitutional office and part of the Legislature as the presiding officer of the Upper House.
The Vice President is indirectly elected by an Electoral College consisting of both elected and nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, through a system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. Unlike the Presidential election, state legislatures do not participate in the Vice Presidential polls.
To qualify, a candidate must be an Indian citizen aged 35 or above and eligible for election as a Rajya Sabha member. The Vice President cannot hold any office of profit.
In the 2022 Vice Presidential election, Jagdeep Dhankhar of the NDA defeated Margaret Alva of the opposition, securing 528 votes, the highest in three decades. Dhankhar took over from Venkaiah Naidu on August 11, 2022, before resigning in July 2025 due to health issues.
With CP Radhakrishnan’s election today, the NDA has secured back-to-back victories in Vice Presidential contests, further cementing its dominance in Parliament.
