Voting for the Vice Presidential election commenced in Parliament on Tuesday morning, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several senior NDA leaders casting their ballots.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to vote, followed by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Arjun Ram Meghwal, and Pralhad Joshi. Gadkari was seen exchanging greetings with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on his way into the Parliament. Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, who chaired proceedings in the absence of a Vice President during the Monsoon Session, also exercised his franchise.
Former Prime Minister and JD(S) Rajya Sabha MP HD Deve Gowda arrived in a wheelchair to participate in the voting, while BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also cast her vote.
The high-stakes contest is between NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan and the opposition’s joint candidate, Justice (Retd) B Sudershan Reddy.
Expressing confidence, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan declared, “NDA’s victory is certain. CP Radhakrishnan will be the new Vice President.” Jitan Ram Manjhi echoed similar sentiments, while Union Minister Suresh Gopi described the election as one aimed at “fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness.”
With the NDA holding a numerical advantage in Parliament, Radhakrishnan is expected to secure around 424 votes, comfortably above the majority mark of 391. Counting of votes will take place later in the evening.