CP Radhakrishnan Elected Vice President With 452 Votes, Rijiju Hints At Cross-Voting

NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan was elected Vice President with 452 votes out of 767 polled in the secret ballot held on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

Following the victory, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju took to X on Wednesday to express gratitude to certain INDIA bloc MPs who allegedly cross-voted, helping secure Radhakrishnan's win.

"Special thanks to some MPs of the INDIA Alliance who voted with 'conscience' for NDA candidate in the VP election. NDA and all our friendly MPs remain united," Rijiju tweeted.

He added in a follow-up post: "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. No one can steal the heart and mind of the MPs."

Cross-Voting Allegations And Invalid Votes

Before the election, the NDA candidate's numbers stood at 427, reflecting the BJP-led alliance's strength in Parliament. However, the final tally of 452 votes exceeded this figure by 25 votes, raising speculations of cross-voting.

The INDIA bloc candidate, B Sudershan Reddy, received 300 votes, short of the anticipated 324 votes projected before counting. Additionally, 15 votes were declared invalid.

NDA leaders suggested that opposition MPs may have contributed to Radhakrishnan's extra votes. "We are confident that 100% Congress votes, 41/41 Trinamool votes, and all 34 DMK votes went in favour of Reddy," an opposition floor leader told Hindustan Times.

Speculation targeted the Aam Aadmi Party and Shiv Sena UBT faction for potential cross-voting, though both INDIA allies have denied the claims.

The Vice President post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankar resigned abruptly on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons.