CP Radhakrishnan Wins Big, Becomes India’s 15th Vice President

National News: In a tightly watched election, CP Radhakrishnan emerged as the clear winner. Representing the ruling NDA, he defeated the opposition INDIA bloc’s joint candidate, retired Justice B Sudarshan Reddy. The final count showed Radhakrishnan with 452 votes against Reddy’s 300. The election result was announced soon after the voting process ended. Voting began at 10 a.m. and continued till 5 p.m. Members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha took part in the electoral college to elect the new Vice President.

Opposition Puts Up A Fight

The INDIA alliance fielded B Sudarshan Reddy, a retired Supreme Court judge, as their candidate. Despite securing 300 votes, the opposition fell short of the majority. Congress later confirmed that 315 of their MPs participated in the Vice Presidential poll.

Why Radhakrishnan Was Chosen

On August 17, the NDA formally declared CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice Presidential candidate. A prominent OBC leader from Tamil Nadu’s Gounder-Kongu Vellalar community, his nomination reflected the NDA’s strategy of balancing regional and caste representation in top constitutional offices.

Dhankhar’s Resignation Created Vacancy

The election was held after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President in July, citing health reasons. His resignation paved the way for this closely contested election, which eventually gave Radhakrishnan the opportunity to step into the country’s second-highest constitutional office.

Electoral College Strength Explained

The Vice Presidential election is decided by the combined electoral college of Parliament. This year, the college had 781 members from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. With 452 votes, Radhakrishnan crossed the majority mark comfortably to claim his victory.