Vice President Election 2025 Results – CP Radhakrishnan Wins– A Setback for INDIA Alliance?

Vice President Election 2025 Results–created political shockwaves in India. NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan won against INDIA bloc’s B. Sudarshan Reddy with 452 votes. The result sparked speculation of cross-voting from opposition MPs including Shiv Sena, NCP, DMK, and others. This article explains the full result, analysis, and impact on Indian politics.

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A Historic Day in Indian Politics

September 9 turned out to be a significant day in India’s parliamentary history as the country witnessed the election of its 15th Vice President. The NDA candidate, CP Radhakrishnan, emerged victorious with 452 votes, defeating the INDIA bloc’s candidate B. Sudarshan Reddy, who secured 300 votes.Vice President Election 2025 Results The results sparked debates across the political spectrum — did the opposition really stand united, or did cracks within the INDIA alliance lead to cross-voting?

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Voting Process and Numbers

A total of 781 Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha) were eligible to vote in the election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to cast his vote at 10 a.m., followed by MPs across parties. By 5 p.m., 767 MPs had exercised their franchise, resulting in an impressive 98.2% turnout.

Interestingly, 14 MPs did not cast their votes. Vice President Election 2025 Results These included seven from BJD, four from BRS, one from Shiromani Akali Dal, and two independents. During counting, 752 votes were declared valid, while 15 were invalid.

According to the Election Commission of India official data, CP Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes, while B. Sudarshan Reddy got 300 votes.

Expected vs Actual Results

Before polling, analysts predicted that NDA would secure around 422 votes while the INDIA alliance would bag about 324 votes. Vice President Election 2025 Results But the final results surprised many. NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan received 452 votes, 30 more than expected, while the INDIA bloc’s B. Sudarshan Reddy ended up with only 300 votes — 24 less than projected.

This gap immediately led to discussions about cross-voting and possible cracks within the opposition alliance.

Jairam Ramesh’s Claim vs Reality

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted after polling ended that the opposition parties had managed 100% turnout — all their MPs had cast votes. He even claimed that INDIA bloc MPs stood united in this contest. However, the final tally of 300 votes contradicted his statement, as the alliance was expected to cross 315. Vice President Election 2025 Results This raised suspicions that at least 15 MPs had either cross-voted or deliberately invalidated their ballots.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey quickly seized the opportunity, alleging that opposition unity was falling apart under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and that many INDIA MPs had switched sides.

Did Uddhav Thackeray’s MPs Break Ranks?

Speculation first turned toward Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT). The group has nine MPs in the Lok Sabha, and reports had been circulating for weeks that at least six were in touch with Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.Vice President Election 2025 Results Since the Vice President election involved secret voting, it is impossible to confirm whether Thackeray’s MPs cross-voted, but the suspicion lingers.

For Shinde, securing cross-votes would have strengthened his relationship with the BJP and cemented his influence both in Delhi and Maharashtra. That narrative gave fuel to rumors that Thackeray’s MPs might have defected in this crucial ballot.

Sharad Pawar’s Calculated Silence

Sharad Pawar, chief of the NCP, is one of the founding members of the INDIA bloc. Yet, his political unpredictability is legendary. Vice President Election 2025 Results Ahead of the election, his daughter and MP Supriya Sule met Prime Minister Modi, sparking speculation about NCP’s real stance.

While Ajit Pawar is comfortably aligned with the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar’s national role has always been more ambiguous. His cordial ties with senior BJP leaders and his history of political “googlies” have often left allies puzzled. With NCP having 10 MPs across both houses, whispers of potential cross-voting by Pawar’s faction gained ground once the results came out.

DMK and the Tamil Identity Factor

The DMK, led by Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin, officially backed the INDIA bloc candidate. With 32 MPs in both Houses, DMK’s support was expected to boost B. Sudarshan Reddy’s tally.

However, CP Radhakrishnan’s Tamil roots introduced a twist. DMK thrives on Tamil identity politics, and a defeat for a Tamil candidate could have been politically damaging back home. Vice President Election 2025 Results That led to speculation that some DMK MPs may have quietly voted for Radhakrishnan to safeguard the party’s local political image.

Though Stalin publicly blamed NDA for using Tamil identity to influence votes, the suspicions about internal cracks in DMK’s parliamentary unity refuse to die down.

YSR Congress Party’s Strategic Move

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) led by Jagan Mohan Reddy holds 11 MPs in Parliament. Historically, the party has maintained issue-based support for the NDA. Vice President Election 2025 Results Reports suggest that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh personally reached out to Jagan Mohan Reddy before the election, requesting YSRCP’s support for Radhakrishnan.

Given their rivalry with Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, aligning with NDA was a strategic choice for YSRCP. Supporting Radhakrishnan allowed them to stay relevant in Delhi and outmaneuver Naidu in Andhra Pradesh politics. Many analysts believe YSRCP’s support played a decisive role in pushing NDA’s vote tally beyond 450.

Cross-Voting vs Invalid Votes

The most curious detail of this election is the coincidence that 15 votes were declared invalid, while opposition leaders claimed that exactly 15 votes were missing from the INDIA bloc’s final count. Vice President Election 2025 Results Did some MPs intentionally cast invalid votes to avoid blame for cross-voting? Or were these simply accidental errors?

This coincidence has become the center of speculation, raising questions about whether discontented MPs preferred abstaining indirectly rather than openly siding with NDA.

Political Message from the Results

Although NDA celebrated an emphatic victory, the INDIA alliance tried to highlight the “moral win.” Jairam Ramesh said that while BJP may have won the numbers game, the opposition had significantly improved its performance compared to previous Vice President elections. Vice President Election 2025 Results In 2017, the opposition candidate had secured only 26% of the votes, whereas in 2025, Sudarshan Reddy managed 40%.

This, according to opposition leaders, shows growing ideological resistance against BJP despite the NDA’s numerical dominance.

The Road Ahead for the Opposition

The bigger question after this election is about the unity of the INDIA bloc. Did Uddhav Thackeray’s MPs quietly rebel? Did Sharad Pawar send a hidden message to BJP? Did DMK MPs prioritize Tamil identity over alliance loyalty? Or did YSRCP’s deal with BJP tilt the scales?

The secrecy of the ballot ensures that none of these questions will ever have a definitive answer. Vice President Election 2025 Results Yet, the very fact that such doubts exist exposes the fragile nature of opposition unity. For INDIA alliance, the challenge is no longer just fighting BJP, but also holding its flock together.

Conclusion

Vice President Election 2025 Results -CP Radhakrishnan’s victory as India’s 15th Vice President has reaffirmed NDA’s numerical strength in Parliament. However, the election also revealed fault lines within the opposition. The INDIA bloc, despite improving its vote share, failed to maintain complete unity. Whether it was cross-voting, invalid ballots, or strategic abstentions, the election has exposed cracks that BJP may exploit in future contests.

The INDIA bloc now faces a critical test: to consolidate its leadership, prevent further defections, and present itself as a credible alternative ahead of the next general elections. For now, the shadow of doubt over who exactly betrayed the opposition — Thackeray, Pawar, Stalin, or someone else — will continue to loom large.

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