New Delhi, Sep 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cast his vote for the Vice-Presidential election at the New Parliament Building, marking the beginning of a closely watched contest. Soon after, he shared on social media platform X: “Voted in the 2025 Vice President election.”
The election pits NDA’s nominee, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, against the INDIA bloc’s candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy. Members of both alliances, including several key leaders, participated in the polling. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, now a Rajya Sabha member, also came in a wheelchair to exercise his franchise.
The Vice President holds a critical role as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, making this election politically significant. The post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21 citing health concerns, coinciding with the start of the monsoon session of Parliament.
The electoral college for the Vice-Presidential election comprises 781 parliamentarians, including 542 elected members of the Lok Sabha and 239 members of the Rajya Sabha (233 elected and 12 nominated, with six current vacancies). Each vote holds equal value, and the process follows a secret ballot system to ensure fairness. The majority mark required to secure victory is 391 votes.
Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, along with Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, have been appointed as official election agents. All parliamentarians used identical pens to maintain voting confidentiality.
Political observers anticipate an intriguing contest, though the NDA is widely perceived to hold a numerical edge. Yet, the possibility of cross-voting has added suspense, keeping both camps on edge.
The counting of votes will take place later in the evening, followed by the official announcement of results.
