Vice President Election 2025: How Numbers Are Stacked in CP Radhakrishnan vs Sudershan Reddy Battle

The stage is set for the Vice President election of India on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, nearly two months after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned citing health reasons. The high-stakes contest will see NDA's CP Radhakrishnan take on INDIA bloc's Sudershan Reddy as parties prepare for the crucial vote.

Voting will begin at 10 AM and conclude at 5 PM, with counting scheduled at 6 PM on the same day. The electoral college for this election comprises 233 elected Rajya Sabha members, 12 nominated members, and 543 elected Lok Sabha members, accounting for vacancies in both Houses. With a total strength of 786 members, a candidate needs 394 votes to secure victory.

The numbers are clearly stacked in favor of the ruling NDA. In the Lok Sabha, the NDA enjoys support from 293 members, while in the Rajya Sabha, it commands backing from 129 members. With a combined support of 422 votes, the NDA comfortably crosses the required majority mark, giving CP Radhakrishnan a strong edge in the contest.

The election was necessitated by Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons. His resignation, submitted under Article 67(a) of the Constitution, took effect immediately. Dhankhar had served as Vice President since 2022 and previously as Governor of West Bengal from 2019 to 2022.

CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA's nominee, is a 68-year-old Maharashtra governor from the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar OBC community. A soft-spoken leader rooted in RSS ideology, he is also the only BJP leader from Tamil Nadu to have been elected twice to the Lok Sabha (1998 and 1999). He has been serving as Maharashtra governor since July 31, 2024.

The opposition bloc INDIA has fielded Sudershan Reddy, 79, a former Supreme Court judge from southern India, known for several landmark rulings, including declaring Salwa Judum unconstitutional. Reddy retired from the Supreme Court in July 2011 and is recognized for challenging government inaction on black-money cases.

With 422 votes in the NDA column out of 786, CP Radhakrishnan enters the election as the frontrunner. While Sudershan Reddy represents the opposition challenge, the numbers indicate a comfortable path for the NDA candidate to secure the post of Vice President of India.