The stage is set for the prestigious election battle between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDI alliance as Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan takes on former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy in the high-stakes run-up for the post of Vice President of India, which had been vacated by the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar due to health and personal reasons. The Vice President election will take place in a few more hours and no surprises or shocks are in store going by the current reports from New Delhi. The polling will begin at 10 AM on Tuesday and conclude at 5 PM before the counting starts at 6 PM on the very same day.
Given the current political climate across the country and the way NDA government has treated its allies ever since it came to power for the third consecutive term in 2024, it is unlikely that there would be any surprises in the outcome of this much anticipated election which involves the representatives of both houses of parliament. Though the BJP led candidate CP Radhakrishnan is poised to emerge as a clear winner due to the fact that the NDA has a solid support of around 425 MPs on paper, there have been some expectations of a nail baiting contest initially because of some political outfits which are neither a part of the NDA and INDI alliance.
At present there are 239 Rajyasabha MPs and 542 Loksabha MPs who are going to exercise their vote in this poll. So, the candidate who secures more than 391 would be the winner. With chances of cross-voting and support of parties like YSRCP, BJD and BRS from South India, INDI alliance could have made this tussle more than interesting. But, the chances of any such dramatic finishes look improbable given the recent developments.
The YSR Congress party, which faced a humiliation in the hands of NDA in Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, has decided to back the NDA candidate for whatever reasons known only its supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who continues to be subservient towards Narendra Modi and his party. YSRCP has a total support of 11 MPs from its side.
Earlier today, both the BRS party of KCR and Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal announced that they are going to abstain from voting in these elections. Despite the fact that Sudershan Reddy hails from Telangana, the BRS took a surprising decision to blackout from the election in the last minute after equivocating on the issue for several days. Moreover, some independent MPs are reportedly undecided over their support.
Even then, the NDA has got ample backing to surpass the magic figure in canter save if any dramatic turnaround occurs. However, CP Radhakrishnan may not secure the thumping majority like some of his predecessors. Nevertheless, he is enroute to clinch the election.
