Vice Presidential Polls Today: PM Modi to Cast First Vote as NDA Eyes Comfortable Win

The race for India’s next Vice President has officially begun. Today (Tuesday), members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will cast their votes to elect the country’s 15th Vice President, choosing between NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan and the INDIA bloc’s nominee, B Sudershan Reddy.

Notably, the election comes two months after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation from the post. Voting will take place in Parliament House from 10 am to 5 pm, with the results expected the same evening. Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody will oversee the election as the returning officer.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first to cast his ballot today, voting alongside MPs from Punjab and Haryana. A total of 781 MPs from both Houses will decide the outcome, with seven seats currently vacant.

Although the numbers evidently favor the ruling BJP-led NDA, which enjoys the support of over 422 MPs, well past the halfway mark of 391, opposition parties are still putting up a spirited fight. The INDIA bloc, along with parties like AAP and AIMIM, has rallied behind Sudershan Reddy, determined to give a strong contest.

The NDA has fielded CP Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader and two-time MP from Coimbatore during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. He previously served as the Governor of Jharkhand and currently holds the post of Maharashtra Governor.

On the other hand, the INDIA bloc is backing former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy, a veteran jurist known for landmark judgments including declaring Chhattisgarh’s controversial Salwa Judum unconstitutional. Reddy also briefly served as the first Lokayukta of Goa before stepping down.

The NDA camp is backed by key allies such as JD(U), TDP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and NCP, ensuring a comfortable majority.

The INDIA bloc’s Sudershan Reddy has the support of Congress, DMK, TMC, RJD, Left parties, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, and others. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP and Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM have also thrown their weight behind him.

However, a few regional heavyweights like KCR’s BRS, Odisha’s BJD, and Shiromani Akali Dal have chosen to stay away from the contest, opting to abstain.

The Vice President is the second-highest constitutional office in India and also serves as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Though the VP does not draw a salary for the position itself, the office comes with the perks and remuneration of the Rajya Sabha chairperson, which ₹4 lakh per month along with official residence, staff, security, and other allowances.

Also Read: Who is CP Radhakrishnan? NDA’s Vice Presidential Pick from Tamil Nadu