Vice President Election: Tejashwi Yadav Raises Questions on Ex-VP Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Absence

CP Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes, defeating opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy. The election involved 770 MPs, with Radhakrishnan's victory strengthening the NDA's parliamentary position.

New Delhi: Soon after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee CP Radhakrishnan was elected as the new Vice President of India, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav raised eyebrows over the conspicuous absence of incumbent Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar from public view. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Yadav questioned the lack of transparency regarding Dhankhar’s health. “Was Jagdeep Dhankhar really ill or was he made ill? He conducted the House very well until the evening. Now where is he? No one knows. No health bulletin has been issued, nor has anything been released. Has he been placed under house arrest so that the real reason doesn’t come out?” he questioned. Tejashwi Yada's comments came in the backdrop of Dhankhar’s sudden withdrawal from active duties, which triggered the election. The RJD leader suggested that the ruling alliance should clarify Dhankhar’s situation rather than leave the public guessing.

CP Radhakrishnan Elected New Vice President

CP Radhakrishnan was elected as India’s 15th Vice President with a total of 452 votes. The Vice Presidential election took place amid strong political interest, with Radhakrishnan facing Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy, who secured 300 votes. The counting of votes was held on Tuesday evening, confirming Radhakrishnan’s clear victory. This win strengthens the NDA’s position in Parliament, as Radhakrishnan will now serve as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Voting followed a secret ballot system under proportional representation with a single transferable vote. MPs marked preferences in order of choice, and ambiguous ballots were rejected. Preventively detained MPs such as Sheikh Abdul Rashid and Amritpal Singh voted via postal ballots.

The electoral college included 781 MPs-238 from Rajya Sabha and 543 from Lok Sabha. However, with BJD and BRS abstaining, the effective strength became 770 MPs, setting the majority mark at 386 votes. The NDA had a theoretical strength of 425 MPs, supported by YSR Congress and likely backing from AAP’s Swati Maliwal, pushing the total to 436. The INDIA bloc stood at 324 MPs, along with some undecided independent and smaller party MPs.