Vice President Election: How Much Strength Does NDA Have? What Do the Numbers Say?

National News: After a long wait, elections for the post of Vice President of India are going to be held on Tuesday. This time also political stir is at its peak. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded its candidate CP Radhakrishnan, whose victory is almost confirmed. However, according to political analysts, this time the win will not be as bigger than the last election and the match can be relatively difficult.

Process of VP election & method of voting

The Vice President is elected by a total of 781 members of both the Houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, through secret ballot. There are 542 members in the Lok Sabha and 239 in the Rajya Sabha, all of whom are included. To win, the candidate has to get more than half of the total votes i.e. at least 391 votes. In this election, traditionally MPs follow the instructions of their party, but there is also a possibility of some cross voting, which can have a big impact on the results of the election.

2022 VP Election: Dhankhar's historic victory

In the last Vice Presidential election, NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar made history by winning a unilateral victory. Not only did he get the full support of NDA, but non-NDA parties like YSR Congress of Andhra Pradesh and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Odisha also openly supported him. Due to this comprehensive support, Dhankhar got about 75 percent of the total valid votes - which was not only an overwhelming majority, but also his political acceptance and the strategic weakness of the opposition. His victory made it clear that there was a lack of solidarity in the opposition at that time, and the NDA is strengthening its grip.

This time's electoral equation

This time NDA has fielded CP Radhakrishnan, who has been openly supported by YSR Congress. YSRCP has a total of 11 MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Apart from this, BJD has 7 and Telangana party BRS has 4 MPs, whose support is not yet clear. Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal and 7 other independent MPs may also play a decisive role in the election. If all of them vote in favor of Radhakrishnan, they are likely to get around 458 votes, which is much higher than the 391 votes required to win.

Cross voting and political suspense

Although most MPs follow the instructions of their party, cross voting has been common in the Vice Presidential election. Last time also, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy and Telangana's K. Chandrashekhar Rao supported the NDA at different times. This time there has been no clear statement from BJD and BRS, due to which the suspense remains. At the same time, Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal's differences with her party are in the news, so who will her vote go to is also a big question.

Victory may be less emphatic

Overall, CP Radhakrishnan's victory in the Vice Presidential election is considered almost certain, especially considering the support of YSR Congress. However, due to partial unity of the opposition, some independent MPs and possible cross voting, this time the victory may be less emphatic than last time. The results of this election will give important indications for the next few months of Indian politics.