As voting for the Vice Presidential election gets underway on Tuesday, the numbers appear firmly stacked in favour of NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan, who is expected to secure 427 votes—well above the majority mark of 391.
According to BJP leaders, Radhakrishnan is likely to receive 293 votes from the Lok Sabha and another 134 from the Rajya Sabha.
His opponent, retired Supreme Court judge Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, the joint Opposition candidate, has the backing of 354 MPs—249 from the Lower House and 105 from the Upper House.
Currently, Parliament has 781 sitting members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha (with one vacancy) and 239 in the Rajya Sabha (with five vacancies). Notably, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have announced they will abstain from voting.
BJP MPs expressed confidence in a decisive win for the NDA candidate. “NDA has more numbers in the election today. We will definitely win, and CP Radhakrishnan will become the Vice President,” BJP MP Ananta Nayak told ANI.
Echoing the optimism, BJP MP Pradeep Purohit said, “Our candidate must win. With over 422 MPs backing Radhakrishnan, there is also a possibility of cross-voting in his favour.”
BJP MP Rambhai Mokariya added that MPs from Gujarat and Goa would vote collectively to ensure a “thumping majority.”
Earlier this morning, several NDA MPs, including Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty, gathered at the residence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju before heading to Parliament.
Polling began at 10 am inside Parliament, with results scheduled to be announced by 5 pm.
