Vice President Election 2025 Live Updates: The election of India’s next Vice President concluded on Tuesday after MPs voted from 10 am to 5 pm, and NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan emerged victorious. Along with other MPs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also marked his attendance in the Parliament on Tuesday. Members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha cast their votes to decide between the two different candidates.
The contest was between ruling NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra, and opposition’s INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy, a retired Supreme Court judge. Reddy has become the first former top court judge to contest an election for the post.
Vice Presidential Election: How was polling done?
Voting was held in Parliament House from 10 am to 5 pm today. The counting of votes began at 6 pm, and the results were announced within a few hours after the voting concluded.
The election was held through a secret ballot, where MPs voted by marking their preference of candidates. In most cases, MPs vote along party lines, but cross-voting reportedly happened as 14 of INDIA MPs voted for NDA candidate.
As for the ballot paper. it list the names of both candidates. MPs need to mark their choice by writing the number 1 next to their preferred candidate. They can use Indian numerals, Roman numerals, or numerals from any Indian language, but not words. To make sure votes are not rejected, both alliances had organised practice polls and training for their MPs on Monday.
CP Radhakrishnan vs B Sudershan Reddy
The Vice President is elected by MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated members of the Upper House. Together, the two Houses currently have 786 members, but with six seats vacant, one in the Lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha, the total electorate stands reduced. A candidate needs at least 394 votes to win, provided all members cast their ballot. For now, the numbers strongly favour the NDA’s nominee, as per media reports.
A total of 452 votes were polled in favour of CP Radhakrishnan while B Sudershan Reddy got 300 votes. The ECI said 15 votes were invalid.
Why did BRS, SAD and BJD abstain from voting?
Three key regional parties, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have decided not to take part in the September 9 Vice Presidential elections, though their reasons are very different. In Telangana, the BRS said its decision was a protest against the urea shortage in the state.
In Odisha, the BJD explained its abstention as a matter of political strategy. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, after consulting senior leaders and MPs, decided the party would continue to keep equal distance from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. The BJP welcomed this stand. The SAD said that they would boycott the election due to Punjab’s flood crisis.
Follow this space for our live coverage of the Vice-Presidential Election today:
Vice President Election Live Updates CP Radhakrishnan vs B Sudershan Reddy:
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: BJP MP expresses confidence in Radhakrishnan’s win
BJP MP Ananta Nayak expressed confidence that the NDA has enough numbers to win the election and said CP Radhakrishnan is certain to become the next Vice President.
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: MPs have started to arrive
The MPs have started arriving ahead of the VP polls that are to begin at 10:00 am.
#watch | Vice Presidential election | Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty and other MPs of the NDA arrive at the residence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Voting to begin at 10 am, at the Parliament. pic.twitter.com/SuAxwQLhsI
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: NDA confident, Opposition calls it a battle of “ideology”
Both NDA and the INDIA bloc held meetings on Monday in Parliament to guide their MPs, conduct mock voting, and ensure no mistakes were made while casting their votes.
The NDA claims it has the support of 429 MPs, which comfortably crosses the majority mark of 386 out of 781 valid votes. The Opposition, with 324 MPs, has been appealing to conscience voting, calling the election an “ideological battle”.
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: All you need to know
The Vice Presidential election will be held today with NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan facing off INDIA bloc candidate B Sudershan Reddy. The election was called after former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post on July 21, a move that took the entire political arena by surprise.
The polling will be held on Tuesday in the new Parliament building from 10 am to 5 pm, and the counting will begin at 6 PM. The results are expected to be announced by same evening.
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: Which parties have abstained from voting in the V-P Elections?
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have chosen to stay away from the Vice Presidential election. All 3 parties have highlighted state-specific issues as the reason behind their decision, showing that they want to remain separate from both national coalitions.
The BJD said it was following its policy of keeping “equal distance” from the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The BRS explained that its decision was to reflect the “anger” of Telangana’s farmers, who are facing a shortage of urea, an issue the BJP and Congress have not solved. The SAD announced it would boycott the election due to the flood situation in Punjab.
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: CP Radhakrishnan vs B Sudershan Reddy – Who will be the next Vice President?
The Vice Presidential election will be decided by 781 MPs, out of which 239 will come from the Rajya Sabha and 542 from the Lok Sabha. The numbers are in favour of the NDA, which has the support of 425 MPs. Out of this, the BJP alone contributes 342 members from both Houses. The Opposition bloc has 324 MPs, and the Congress holds the largest share among them with 126 members.
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: All you need to know about NDA’s V-P candidate CP Radhakrishnan
CP Radhakrishnan has been a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and has been linked to the RSS since he was 16. He entered Parliament in 1998 after winning the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat with the biggest margin in the state at that time, according to The Indian Express. He won the seat again in 1999 and was later made a member of the BJP’s National Executive. From 2004 to 2007, he also served as the party’s Tamil Nadu president.
Read More: Who is CP Radhakrishnan, NDA’s candidate for Vice-President?
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: All you need to know about INDIA bloc V-P candidate B Sudershan Reddy
The retired Supreme Court judge is remembered for several important rulings, including the 2011 judgement that declared Salwa Judum illegal and unconstitutional. Salwa Judum was a group of trained tribal youth who had been used as special police officers to fight Naxalites until the two-judge bench struck it down.
Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah criticised this decision, saying it was a setback in the fight against Maoists in Chhattisgarh. He caused controversy after claiming that Reddy had “helped Naxalism” with his verdict. In response, several retired Supreme Court judges wrote to Shah, calling his comments “unfortunate” and advising him to avoid “name calling.”
Read More: Meet B Sudershan Reddy: INDIA’s VP Candidate, once accused of ‘helping Naxals’ by Amit Shah
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: What is the process of electing the Vice President of India?
The Vice President is chosen by an Electoral College made up of all members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including both elected and nominated MPs. The Election Commission of India conducts the election as per Article 324 of the Constitution.
Voting Process
– MPs cast their votes using pink ballot papers.
– Each ballot has two columns: one with the candidates’ names and the other where MPs mark their preferences.
– Unlike the Presidential election, only MPs vote in this election, and each vote has equal value (one vote per MP).
The election follows the proportional representation system with a single transferable vote. This means MPs must rank the candidates in order of preference (1, 2, 3, etc.). The counting continues until one candidate crosses the required majority.
Read More: How is Vice President of India elected?
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: Shrikant Shinde appointed as one of polling agents for NDA
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde has been appointed as one of the polling agents for the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate. Shinde held a meeting on Monday with Shiv Sena MPs in New Delhi, where Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal explained the voting process and shared the rules for the election.
The polling will begin at 10 am and conclude at 5 pm today. The MPs from both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha will partciapate in the voting process. The counting of votes will begin at 6 pm today, and the results will mot likely be announced soon after. Stay with us to track live updates on the same.
Read More | Vice President election: Check date, time, candidates, voting process to elect India’s 15th V-P
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: Reason behind NDA choosing CP Radhakrishnan as its V-P candidate?
The BJP has chosen CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice President candidate, probably to strengthen its presence in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. Radhakrishnan, who earlier led the party in the state, is known for his long 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’ and clean political record. He is seen as someone deeply connected to the people of Tamil Nadu and untainted by controversy. We know that BJP is weak in the south and recently losing Karnataka, projecting Radhakrishnan as Vice President allows the party to send a strong signal to voters in Tamil Nadu while building ground for the upcoming polls.
Read More: Why did BJP choose CP Radhakrishnan as Vice President candidate? Understand the Tamil Nadu factor
Vice President Election 2025 Voting LIVE: Radhakrishnan vs Reddy – Polling today
NDA’s CP Radhakrishnan is set to face off INDIA bloc’s B Sudershan Reddy today for the post of India’s next Vice President. The polling will take place today, and the results will most likely be out in the evening. Here, we will bring to you the live coverage of the entire voting process and time. Keep watching this space for latest updates.