Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, arrived at Parliament House on Tuesday to cast his vote in the Vice Presidential elections, supporting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate CP Radhakrishnan. The NDA nominee is poised to secure a comfortable majority with backing from key alliance partners.
The voting and counting of ballots are taking place on the first floor of Parliament House. Following the vote, PM Modi is scheduled to visit flood-affected areas in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, where at least 51 people have died, and preliminary assessments estimate damages of around Rs 780 crore to healthcare infrastructure, farmland, and property.
Radhakrishnan is contesting against retired Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy, the joint candidate of the opposition INDIA bloc. Numbers favor the NDA candidate, who is expected to receive around 427 votes, well above the majority mark of 391. In comparison, Sudershan Reddy has the support of 354 MPs—249 in the Lok Sabha and 105 in the Rajya Sabha.
In the Lower House, Radhakrishnan is projected to garner 293 votes, with another 134 expected in the Upper House. Currently, Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha (one seat vacant) and 239 in the Rajya Sabha (five seats vacant).
Earlier, Radhakrishnan offered prayers at Shree Ram Mandir in Delhi’s Lodhi Road, expressing confidence in a decisive win. “The elections are taking place. It is going to be a big victory for Indian nationalism. We are all one, we will be one and we want India to become ‘Viksit Bharat,’” he told reporters.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have opted to abstain from voting. Meanwhile, BJP MPs expressed optimism about Radhakrishnan’s victory.
Ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Punjab, State Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh highlighted the extensive flood damage, noting that medicines worth Rs 130 crore were destroyed, along with 1,280 dispensaries and health & wellness centres, 101 community health centres, and 31 of the state’s 41 sub-divisional hospitals.
