India Elects C.P. Radhakrishnan as 15th Vice President
NDA’s C.P. Radhakrishnan Becomes 15th Vice President of India (Image X.com)
With 452 votes to 300, the BJP veteran and former governor from Tamil Nadu secured a decisive victory, reflecting both NDA’s post-2024 resilience and INDIA bloc’s push for ideological symbolism.
By Amit Kumar
New Delhi, September 9, 2025 — The election of C.P. Radhakrishnan as India’s 15th Vice President is more than a routine parliamentary exercise—it is a political statement. With 452 votes against 300 secured by the opposition’s Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, the result underscores the ruling NDA’s numerical dominance but also exposes the undercurrents of dissent, abstentions, and symbolism shaping Indian politics.
Triggered by the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar in July, the mid-term poll brought constitutional process and political theatre into sharp relief. The NDA fielded Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader and RSS loyalist from Tamil Nadu, whose victory was backed by careful floor management and the YSR Congress Party’s support. The INDIA bloc, however, framed its candidate—a retired Supreme Court judge—as a banner of judicial independence and democratic ethos, turning the contest into an ideological referendum.
Despite the NDA’s win, the tally was narrower than expected. Cross-voting and abstentions by regional parties like the BJD, BRS, and SAD trimmed margins, suggesting a refusal to be locked into Delhi’s binary battle. For the INDIA bloc, unity held in rhetoric but slipped in numbers, with discrepancies suggesting cracks beneath the surface.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the outcome as a triumph of public service values, praising Radhakrishnan’s “devotion to empowering the poor and marginalised.” President Droupadi Murmu echoed the sentiment, expressing confidence that his experience would strengthen constitutional institutions. Opposition leaders, meanwhile, promised to carry the “ideological struggle” forward, insisting the battle was not about numbers but about principles.
Radhakrishnan’s election—making him the third Vice President from Tamil Nadu—marks continuity with the NDA’s parliamentary clout post-2024. Yet, the symbolism of the opposition’s campaign, the abstentions of regional players, and the subtle erosion in expected margins suggest that Indian democracy remains a field of both stability and contestation.
As the new Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Radhakrishnan inherits a chamber often described as the “conscience of Parliament.” His ability to balance loyalty to the ruling alliance with impartiality in presiding over debates will test not only his political instincts but also India’s constitutional resilience.
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