CP Radhakrishnan, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee, became India's 15th Vice President after the results were declared, in which Radhakrishnan emerged as the clear winner by securing 452 votes against his contender B Sudershan Reddy, who got 300 votes. The winning margin came out to be 152 votes. The Vice Presidential polls concluded on Tuesday, for which Radhakrishnan was locked in a direct contest with the INDIA bloc's joint candidate, Reddy.
The voting in the key elections began at 10 am and concluded at 5 pm. The counting of votes was taken up soon after.
Vice President elections 2025: Who supported whom?
Radhakrishnan was supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Janata Dal United (JDU), Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Janata Dal Secular (JDS) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), among others. Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP also voted in favour of Radhakrishnan. On the other hand, Reddy got the support of Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Left parties, among others.
Several parties, including Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), abstained from voting. Radhakrishnan was expected to receive 437 votes but received 452, against Reddy's 300, who was certain to get at least 324.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast the first vote in the election earlier in the day in the polling booth in Room Number 10 in the Parliament complex. He was accompanied by Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jitendra Singh and L Murugan.
The midway vice presidential polls were necessitated by the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.
Although Dhankhar cited health reasons as the reason behind his stepping down, the move fuelled several theories and political speculation about his turmoil with the NDA-led Centre.
All about CP Radhakrishnan
CP Radhakrishnan was born on May 4, 1957, in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. He became associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 16 in 1973, an early involvement that shaped his ideological leanings and later entry into politics. Beginning with the Janata Party and eventually joining the BJP, Radhakrishnan built a strong political base rooted in the party’s core values.
Political journey: from Lok Sabha to BJP leadership
Radhakrishnan’s parliamentary career began in 1998, when he won the Coimbatore constituency as a BJP candidate. He retained the seat in 1999, securing a majority of over 1.5 lakh votes in 1998 and around 55,000 in 1999. These victories came in the aftermath of the Coimbatore bombings, which had significantly bolstered the BJP’s presence in the region.
Within the party, his influence steadily grew, leading to his appointment as President of BJP Tamil Nadu from 2004 to 2007. During this period, he undertook a 93-day rath yatra to campaign for causes such as interlinking Indian rivers, eradicating untouchability, and combating terrorism.
He also played a key role in reviving the NDA’s alliances in Tamil Nadu after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ended its partnership with the BJP in 2004.
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