• Source:JND
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Vice President Election 2025: The voting for the crucial Vice President election necessitated by the sudden exit of Jagdeep Dhankhar is undeway in the Parliament. PM Modi has been among the first voters on Tuesday. There is a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party-led ruling alliance's candidate, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan and INDIA bloc's ex-Supreme Court judge, Justice B Sudershan Reddy.

Who Is NDA Picks CP Radhakrishnan As VP Candidate?

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominated Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan. He is a seasoned BJP leader belonging to a key OBC caste from Tamil Nadu, which will undergo election next year. Radhakrishnan has an RSS background. Radhakrishnan (67) is two-time former member of Lok Sabha from Coimbatore. In Radhakrishnan, the BJP has trusted a leader with a proven organisational and ideological commitment, a far cry from its choice of his predecessor, Jagdeep Dhankhar.

ALSO READ: Vice Presidential Elections 2025 Live Updates: Who Will Be New VP, Radhakrishnan Or Sudershan Reddy? Voting Begins At 10 AM

Why Is Vice President Election Significant?

The Vice President election is significant because it elects a competent person for the second-highest constitutional position in the country. Also, the Vice President holds the post of chairperson of the Parliament's Upper House, Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha chair factor makes the post most significant. Be it the government or the Opposition, both sides want a Rajya Sabha chairman who suits their ideology. The role of Rajya Sabha chairman is crucial to run the House. The MPs are not bound by party whips to vote in the vice presidential election, which takes place under a secret ballot system. 

ALSO READ: Vice President Election: What's At Stakes In Radhakrishnan vs Reddy In Showdown  

Who Is INDIA Bloc's Candidate, B Sudershan Reddy?

Justice B. Sudershan Reddy (Retd.) is a former Supreme Court judge, who hails from Andhra Pradesh. Born on July 8, 1946 in Andhra Pradesh, Sudershan has done BA and LLB and enrolled as Advocate at Hyderabad with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh on December 27, 1971. Justice Reddy was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 1995. Served as Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, he elevated as Supreme Court Judge in 2007.

Here Are The Key Highlights Of Ehe VP Election:

1. The tally is in favour of the ruling NDA, which claims the support of 427 votes out of the total 781 valid votes, yet the rival camp is leaving no stone unturned to make it a close fight. The majority mark is 391. The Opposition has 315 MPs. INDIA bloc requested the members to cast their vote for the "spirit of India" by hearing the voice of their conscience in what they have described as an "ideological battle".

2. It would be interesting to see, who 39 unaligned MPs would vote. However, the YSR Congress has already announced its support to Radhakrishnan and AIMIM's sole member Asaduddin Owaisi has pledged his vote to Reddy.

3. Both the ruling NDA and Opposition INDIA bloc held separate meetings on Monday in the Parliament complex in a show of strength, where they sensitised their respective MPs about the election process and also held mock polls while exhorting their members to vote correctly.

4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the NDA MPs at a meeting in Parliament's Library building.

5. The INDIA bloc's constituents - Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, TMC, RJD, JMM, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), CPI, CPI-M and others appealed to MPs to vote in the interest of the country.

6. Reddy, in a video message, told the MPs that this is not just a vote to elect their vice-president but is a vote for the spirit of India itself.

7. The electoral college for the vice presidential election comprises a total of 788 members -- 245 from the Rajya Sabha and 543 from the Lok Sabha.

8. The 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to vote in the election. The present strength of the electoral college is 781, as six seats are vacant in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha.

9. The issue of Reddy's Salwa Judum judgement spiced up the otherwise staid campaign for the vice presidential election with Home Minister Amit Shah claiming that the 2011 verdict was a setback to the efforts to fight Maoism in Chhattisgarh.

10. Since the filing of nomination papers on August 20, Radhakrishnan has met MPs from all the states in groups and sought their support in the election, while Reddy has toured different states and met leaders of opposition parties.
(With PTI inputs)