Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday took a swipe at the Opposition INDIA bloc, hinting at cross-voting in the Vice Presidential election that saw NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan secure a decisive victory.
Rijiju, in a post on X, thanked members of the INDIA bloc who, according to him, voted with their “conscience.”
“Special thanks to some MPs of INDI Alliance who voted with ‘conscience’ for NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan in the VP election. NDA and all our friendly MPs remain united. Congratulations to everyone on electing a humble & efficient man and a true patriot as India’s new Vice President,” Rijiju wrote.
BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh also pointed to a shortfall in the Opposition’s vote tally, noting that its nominee received 15 fewer votes than expected.
“Voting happened through ballot papers & INDI Alliance got 15 votes less than their number. The INDI alliance leaders had campaigned for conscience vote. They got it in return,” Santhosh posted.
On the other hand, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the Opposition’s performance as “respectable,” highlighting that its joint candidate, Justice (retd) B Sudershan Reddy, secured 40% of the vote—an improvement from the 26% it managed in the 2022 Vice Presidential polls.
“The BJP’s arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat. The ideological battle continues undiminished,” Ramesh said in a social media post.
In Tuesday’s election, Radhakrishnan defeated Justice Reddy by a margin of 152 votes. He received 452 first-preference votes, while the Opposition candidate secured 300. Fifteen votes were declared invalid, Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody confirmed.
The Vice President’s post had been vacant since July 21, 2025, following Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on health grounds.
