NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan was named Vice President-elect with a total of 452 votes out of the 767 votes polled in the VP elections. A day after CP Radhakrishnan was elected vice president of India, Union Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju thanked the INDIA bloc MPS for their votes for the National Democractic Alliance (NDA) candidate, hinting at cross-voting.
The vice-presidential election were held on Tuesday, September 9. NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan won with a total of 452 votes out of the 767 votes polled in the secret ballot. Taking to X on Wednesday, the union minister thanked the INDIA bloc MPS who allegedly cross voted, securing the NDA candidate’s win.
“Special thanks to some MPs of- INDI Alliance who voted with ‘Conscience’ for NDA candidate in the VP election. NDA and All our friendly MPs remain united,” said Rijiju.
“The election of the Vice President was conducted through ballots. The voting was secret and done with conscience. Both voting and counting were carried out in the presence of representatives from both parties. Representatives from both parties were present throughout. No one can steal the heart and mind of the MPs,” the union minister stated in another post on X.
Ahead of the VP elections on Tuesday, the numbers for the NDA candidate stood at 427, which is the BJP-led alliance’s strength in the parliament. However, as the votes were cast and later revealed, Radhakrishnan secured a total of 452 votes, marking an increase of 14 votes. The INDIA bloc candidate, B Sudershan Reddy, secured a total of 300 votes. Before the counting, the opposition candidate was slated to receive around 324 votes.
After the counting was done, 15 votes were invalid. With an increase in votes for Radhakrishnan, the cross voting theory surfaced as NDA leaders alleged opposition leaders may have voted for their candidate. “We are confident that 100% Congress votes, 41/41 Trinamool votes and all 34 DMK votes have gone in favour of Reddy,” an Opposition floor leader said.
Following this claim, doubt was cast on Aam Aadmi party and the Shiv Sena UBT faction for cross voting, however, both INDIA allies have denied the claim. The Vice President elections were conducted on Tuesday. The top post was left vacant after the abrupt resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar on July 21, citing health reasons.
