New Delhi: The election for India’s next Vice-President is now official, with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fielding senior leader CP Radhakrishnan against the INDIA bloc’s choice, former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy.
The election is scheduled for September 9, with Reddy expected to file his nomination on August 21. While the opposition has framed the election as an ideological battle, the numbers remain firmly in the NDA’s favour.
How the Electoral Math Stacks Up
The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament. With the combined strength of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha at 787, a candidate requires at least 394 votes to secure victory.
The NDA currently holds 422 MPs, a tally that gives Radhakrishnan a decisive edge. This includes 293 MPs in the 542-member Lok Sabha and 129 MPs in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, alongside nominated members who are expected to support the government nominee.
In contrast, the INDIA bloc controls around 300 votes. Its line-up includes the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Aam Aadmi Party and Indian Union Muslim League. Even with full bloc support, the opposition remains well short of the required majority.
The opposition is attempting to reach out to neutral regional parties such as YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (7 Rajya Sabha MPs, 5 Lok Sabha MPs) and Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (7 Rajya Sabha MPs). But even if both extend support, the INDIA bloc will still struggle to bridge the gap, leaving the NDA comfortably placed.
Two Southern Faces To Pit Against Each Other
This election pits two southern leaders against each other. CP Radhakrishnan, a two-time MP from Coimbatore, enjoys the clear backing of the ruling alliance. Sudarshan Reddy, a respected jurist from Andhra Pradesh, has been projected by the opposition as a candidate who represents constitutional values.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has welcomed Radhakrishnan’s nomination but has not commented on Reddy. DMK leaders, meanwhile, have framed the contest as a test of ideology rather than region. “This is an ideological fight. So the Opposition parties came together to select one candidate against the candidate who comes from an RSS background,” DMK MP Kanimozhi said, adding that the ruling party’s Tamil Nadu candidate does not automatically mean sensitivity towards the state.
The government had initially sought consensus for a unanimous election, but with the INDIA bloc pressing ahead with its own nominee, the race is set to go to a vote. However, with the NDA’s comfortable majority, CP Radhakrishnan’s path to becoming the next Vice-President of India is more likely.
