Congress also reminds new Vice President of India’s first V-P Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s words
A day after C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected as India’s new Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Congress on Wednesday extended its congratulations, while urging him to uphold the values of fairness and impartiality, reminding him of the words of India’s first Vice President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
“On the opening day of the Rajya Sabha on May 13, 1952, the very eminent philosopher, educationist, author, and diplomat had said:
‘I belong to no party, and that means I belong to every party in this House. It shall be my endeavour to uphold the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy and act towards each party with fairness and impartiality—with ill will to none and goodwill to all. A democracy is likely to degenerate into a tyranny if it does not allow opposition groups to criticise fairly, freely, and frankly the policies of the government…’
“Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan practised what he preached, both in letter and spirit,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
Meanwhile, a political storm also erupted over the number of votes polled by Radhakrishnan (452) and Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy (300), amid allegations of “cross-voting.”
On Tuesday, India elected its 15th Vice President, with BJP-led NDA candidate Radhakrishnan securing 452 first-preference votes, defeating Reddy by a margin of 152 votes. Reddy received 300 votes though the Congress was expecting at least 315 votes since all INDIA bloc MPs were present to vote. Actually, the Opposition had hoped for up to 324 votes, expecting some support beyond its formal allies.
After voting ended, Jairam Ramesh had declared that all 315 MPs from the Opposition had cast their votes for Reddy. However, the final count showed Reddy received only 300 valid votes, with 15 votes declared invalid. It remains unclear from which side of the political divide those 15 invalid votes originated.
Calling for a thorough investigation, Congress MP Manish Tewari said the cross-voting amounted to a serious breach of trust and raised questions about internal unity. INDIA bloc ally CPI also voiced concern, suspecting “some cross-voting.”
According to some BJP leaders, the NDA had 427 votes and expected to reach between 440 and 444 by adding 11 MPs from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSRCP and some Independent MPs. The final tally of 452 suggests that a few Opposition MPs also voted for the NDA candidate.
Despite the outcome, the Congress has termed the result a “moral and political defeat” for the BJP, citing figures from previous elections. According to Ramesh, Reddy secured 40% of the vote—a notable improvement from the 26% the Opposition garnered in the 2022 vice-presidential election.
“Justice (retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy secured 40% of the vote. In 2022, the Opposition had received 26% in the Vice-Presidential election. The BJP’s arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat. The ideological battle continues undiminished,” Ramesh stated.
In the previous Vice-Presidential election, the BJP secured 240 Lok Sabha seats, down from 303 in 2019. The NDA as a whole won 294 seats, while the INDIA bloc gained over 100 seats to reach 234. While a direct comparison between the 2022 and 2025 Vice-Presidential elections is difficult—given the changed composition of Parliament, especially the Lok Sabha—many in the Opposition see the result as a sign of shifting political dynamics.
