Hyderabad: The stage is set for the Vice President Election 2025 in Parliament on Tuesday. Voting will decide the successor to Jagdeep Dhankhar. NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan faces opposition-backed Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy. The opposition is seeking unity, but numbers favour the ruling alliance, making Radhakrishnan’s win almost certain.
On Monday, both camps held final meetings with their MPs. The BJP conducted a workshop attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior leaders. The session explained voting procedures and stressed discipline during polling. The opposition INDIA bloc met in the Central Hall of Parliament with Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, and Akhilesh Yadav present. A mock voting exercise prepared MPs for the ballot.
NDA strength and opposition challenge
The electoral college for the election has 781 MPs, as seven seats are vacant. Out of this, NDA controls 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, giving it 422 votes. With support from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party, the NDA tally rises to 433, well above the halfway mark.
The opposition INDIA bloc has 232 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 92 in the Rajya Sabha, totalling 324. With the Aam Aadmi Party’s nine Rajya Sabha MPs, the bloc still falls short. AAP also faces internal uncertainty, raising doubts over whether all its MPs will follow the party line. Since voting is by secret ballot and no whip applies, cross-voting cannot be ruled out.
The NDA’s position strengthened further after the Biju Janata Dal and Bharat Rashtra Samithi announced they would abstain. Together, the two hold 11 seats in the Rajya Sabha. Their absence weakens INDIA’s numbers and shows regional reluctance to back either bloc firmly.
The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has one Rajya Sabha MP, has not revealed its stand. However, observers believe its lone vote may go to the NDA.
Candidate profiles and political implications
CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate, is a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu. Known for his long service in the party, he represents the NDA’s effort to reward loyalists and secure wider regional representation. His candidacy also signals the BJP’s focus on consolidating its southern base.
Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, the opposition candidate, is a former Supreme Court judge from Telangana. His nomination was intended to highlight southern representation and judicial integrity. However, without adequate numbers in Parliament, his run remains largely symbolic.
The Vice President of India is the second-highest constitutional office in the country and acts as the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The office has gained greater visibility in recent years, given the frequent deadlocks in Parliament’s Upper House. Whoever wins will preside over legislative debates and play a crucial role in managing the chamber.
Historically, the ruling side has held a strong edge in Vice Presidential elections. NDA-backed candidates Venkaiah Naidu in 2017 and Jagdeep Dhankhar in 2022 both secured comfortable wins. The 2025 contest appears to continue this pattern, with Radhakrishnan heading for a near-certain victory.
For the NDA, a decisive win will reinforce its political dominance ahead of the 2029 general elections. For the opposition, the election provides an opportunity to showcase unity, even if victory is unlikely. The INDIA bloc hopes that symbolic fights like these will help sustain momentum for the longer electoral battles ahead.
