Vice Presidential Election 2025 Live Updates: Voting Ends; Counting of Votes Begins 6 pm

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh announced that voting in the Vice Presidential election has concluded, with the Opposition showing complete unity. All 315 Opposition MPs reportedly turned up to cast their votes, marking an unprecedented 100% turnout, a rare show of solidarity in Indian politics.

Polling for the Vice Presidential election on Monday witnessed a high turnout, with 96 per cent of members casting their votes by 3 PM, according to official sources.

The Election Commission had set up polling booths inside Parliament House, where members of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha exercised their franchise. Voting began at 10 AM and will continue until 5 PM.

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi exercised his right to vote in the vice presidential election today. After casting his ballot at the designated polling station, he was seen leaving the election complex shortly thereafter, maintaining a low profile. His participation in the election comes amid heightened political attention, as the contest draws significant focus from various political parties and observers across the country.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah cast his vote in vice presidential election. He posted the update on his X handle. 

BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Tuesday exuded confidence in the victory of NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan in the Vice Presidential elections, saying that he will win with a "full majority."

Speaking to ANI, the BJP MP stated that the candidate nominated by the BJP-led NDA is "very graceful" and his life has been full of achievements.

"Wait for the results. The candidate nominated by the BJP-NDA is very graceful; his life has been full of achievements. I am confident that he will win with a full majority. The country will get a new Vice President, and the Rajya Sabha will get a new chairman," Thakur said.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, "Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal and the party have decided to support Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy and vote for him. Our MPs will vote for him...There is no such possibility (of cross-voting) in our party...All our votes will go to Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy...In the Constitution Club election, BJP members did cross-voting and voted against the Modi-Amit Shah's desired candidate...So, if something like that happens, there can be unexpected results."

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said on Tuesday that the ongoing Vice Presidential elections is not just about party loyalty, but rather electing a person who "upholds national interest".

"Why talk about this (cross-voting)? This is such a big election. The question is not just about a party, the post should be occupied by an individual who upholds national interest," Sule, who is set to vote in the VP election, told ANI.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the opposition parties have collectively decided to vote against NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan as the poll race for the Vice President begins.

Shivakumar said that the INDIA bloc has requested all opposition parties for a conscious vote to avoid cross-voting in the Vice Presidential election.

"As a democratic setup, the INDIA bloc will fight the election together. We have requested a conscious vote. The INDIA bloc and all opposition parties will vote against the NDA candidate (CP Radhakrishnan)," Shivakumar told reporters.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor arrives at the Parliament House to cast his vote for the Vice Presidential election.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Tuesday took a jibe at the Opposition's Vice Presidential candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy for meeting RJD chief and fodder scam convict Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Giriraj Singh slammed Sudershan Reddy for talking about "morality" while meeting with a person convicted in a scam.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh says, "We are confident of winning the elections. Opposition's Vice Presidential candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, who is a former judge, met RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, convicted in the fodder scam, and he is talking about morality."

Opposition Vice Presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy has expressed hope about winning the elections that commenced on Tuesday morning in Parliament House.

"I am more than hopeful that I am going to win this election," Reddy told reporters here.

"I thank the people for the love I have got from, the response from civil society. I also thank the leaders on the opposing side," he added.

Reddy also dismissed any hopes of cross-voting, saying that he is only trying to "awaken people's conscious" and he does not expect any cross voting to happen.

"I am only trying to awaken people's conscience. I did not say that there would be cross-voting. I don't know what cross-voting is," he said.

When asked on NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan being confident in winning majority of votes, he retorted, “What else will he say? Will he say that I (Sudershan Reddy) will win? Is this a question?”

"This is a fight for (the Constitution), it will continue. My journey has begun with the Constitution," he said.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, on his way to Parliament to cast his vote, said, “Sudershan Reddy ji has all the chances of winning.”

Independent MPs Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa will boycott the Vice Presidential Election, 2025, currently underway. Amritpal Singh was arrested from Moga's Rode village in April 2023 after he and his supporters on February 23, 2023, staged a protest at the Ajnala police station and clashed with police personnel in an attempt to free one of his aides, who was taken into custody for making inflammatory and pro-Khalistan statements.

INDIA bloc’s nominee and former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy expressed confidence ahead of the polls, saying, “I am very confident. We are going to win. I am only trying to awaken people’s conscience. I did not say that there would be cross-voting. I don’t know what cross-voting is.”

National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Vice Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishan has appointed Telegu Desam Party leader and Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, along with Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha as his polling agents for the VP elections. Both the TDP and JD(U), both NDA alliance partners, have earlier expressed support for Radkhakrishan.

NDA's candidate CP Radhakrishnan has an edge with 427 MPs, well above the majority mark of 391, supporting him for the post. A BJP leader had said that the NDA candidate is expected to garner at least 427 votes. In the Lok Sabha, Radhakrishnan is expected to receive 293 votes and 134 votes are likely to be cast in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.

The Opposition's candidate, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, is backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the Lower House and 105 in the Upper House of the Parliament.

Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.

Stage is set for Vice Presidential contest on Tuesday with NDA expressing confidence of victory of its candidate CP Radhakrishnan and opposition parties rallying in support for their candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy.

Both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and opposition parties held mock-polls ahead of the crucial day, telling the MPs to be cautious in exercising their franchise lest their vote gets invalid.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the candidature of CP Radhakrishnan has generated immense enthusiasm, and people believe he will be an excellent Vice President.

"Participated in the NDA meeting in Delhi, attended by MPs across the NDA family. The candidature of Thiru CP Radhakrishnan has generated immense enthusiasm all across. People believe that he will be an excellent Vice President, who will enrich the office with his wisdom and insights," he said in a post on X.

Ahead of the Vice President elections, opposition INDIA bloc's candidate, former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy, on Monday evening met RLP MP Hanuman Beniwal and Azad Samaj Party President and MP Chandrasekhar Azad in Delhi to seek support. Thanking Beniwal, Reddy called it a "memorable moment" in his campaign. "I express gratitude to Hanuman Beniwal for supporting me... This is a memorable moment in my life, when one of the tall leaders of our country came to extend his support..." Reddy told ANI.

NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan says, "The elections are taking place. It is going to be a big victory for Indian nationalism. We are all one, we will be one and we want India to become 'Viksit Bharat'..."

BJP MP Rambhai Mokariya says, "We are very hopeful. Our candidate will win. CP Radhakrishnan will win 100%. At 8 am, all MPs of Gujarat and Goa will gather at the residence of Mansukh Mandaviya. We will vote at 10 am...We will ensure he wins with a thumping majority...Opposition candidate is not going to win..."

Union Minister S.P. Singh Baghel says, "Both candidates and their supporters are ready. NDA has more count and Radhakrishnan will become the Vice-President. We will vote in his favour, and the NDA will win. We will congratulate him and he will run the proceedings of the House smoothly... Everything will be cleared by the evening..."

On Vice Presidential Elections 2025, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi says, "I would like to say very humbly but with a lot of confidence that the count is in our favour... In 2017, Venkaiah Naidu was elected with a thumping majority, and in 2022, Jagdeep Dhankhar, the NDA candidate, received more support than anyone had in the last three decades. History is going to repeat itself..."

Ahead of the elections for the Vice President of India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said that Opposition MPs will cast their votes, but there is a difference in numbers between the NDA and the Opposition parties. Speaking to ANI on Monday, Shashi Tharoor said, "See, we will cast our votes. These elections are important. You know how the count is going on, what can I say?"

Ahead of the Vice-Presidential election, three parties — the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) of Odisha, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of Punjab, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of Telangana — have declared their intent to abstain from the polls. Their declaration, though, makes little difference to the poll arithmetic.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Dina Patil says, "Elections are contested to win. We are confident that we will definitely win."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first voter to cast his vote in the Vice Presidential Elections on Tuesday. The Prime Minister will cast his vote along with Punjab and Haryana MPs, sources said on Monday. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Ram Mohan Naidu and Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde have been appointed as election agents for the Vice Presidential polls.