New Delhi – The upcoming vice-presidential election pits NDA candidate C.P.Radhakrishnan against opposition INDIA bloc nominee Sudershan Reddy, with the ruling coalition holding a notable numerical advantage. The election was necessitated by Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on July 21, citing health reasons, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution. Dhankhar had served as Vice-President since 2022, previously holding the position of Governor of West Bengal from 2019 to 2022.
The NDA currently commands the support of 422 members in the combined effective strength of both Houses of Parliament, totaling 781. This comprises 293 members in the 542-member Lok Sabha and 129 in the 240-member Rajya Sabha.The victory mark is set at 385 votes.
C.P. Radhakrishnan, 68, is the current Governor of Maharashtra, appointed July 31, 2024.A BJP leader twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Tamil Nadu (1998, 1999), he is described as being “rooted in RSS ideology.”
The INDIA bloc has nominated former Supreme Court judge B.Sudershan Reddy, 79, who retired in July 2011. He is known for landmark judgments, including criticisms of the government’s handling of black-money investigations and a ruling declaring the Salwa Judum unconstitutional.
Notably, the BRS, BJD, and SAD - collectively holding 12 MPs – have chosen to abstain from the vice-presidential election.