Vice President Election- What Do The Numbers Say About Radhakrishnan And Sudershan Reddy? 5 Must-Know Facts News24 –
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate S. Radhakrishnan is set to win the Vice-President election against the INDIA Bloc’s B. Sudershan Reddy. Voting by secret ballot will begin at 10 am on Tuesday. While the NDA’s victory is certain, the BJP remains watchful of every vote, as questions remain over the exact margin of the win. The VP post became vacant following the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing health reasons. The voting will conclude at 5 pm, with all members of Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha in the electoral college. Counting of votes will begin at 6 pm the same day. The electoral college consists of 233 elected members of the Rajya Sabha (five seats are currently vacant), 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (one seat is currently vacant).
Vice President Election- BJP’s Numbers
There are 239 Rajya Sabha MPs and 542 Lok Sabha MPs, who are eligible to vote. However, according to the news reports, ex-Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi will both abstain. Therefore, the total number of MPs voting comes down to 770 and the majority mark stands at 386. Calculating all these numbers, NDA has 427 MPs. BJP has fielded Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate, and he is seen as a clear winner. The ruling party will also gain backing from former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Reddy, whose YSR Congress has 11 MPs, further strengthening BJP’s position in the Vice President polls.
How Are The Numbers Stacked?
– How are numbers stacked: The numbers are stacked in favour of the ruling NDA which enjoys a clear majority in both houses of Parliament. In 542-member Lok Sabha, the BJP-led NDA enjoys the support of 293 members. The ruling alliance has the support of 129 members in the Rajya Sabha, which has an effective strength of 240. In total, the combined strength of both Houses for the vice-presidential vote stands at 786, making 394 the victory mark. The NDA, with support from 422 members, comfortably crosses that mark, giving it a commanding position in the key contest. The BRS and BJD have decided to stay away from vice presidential elections.
Why BRS Chose To Stay Away?
The BRS is facing internal turmoil, with the resignation of K Kavitha, daughter of party chief KCR, and its aggressive stand against both the BJP and the Congress, making its position unsurprising. The party is also closely watching the bypoll for the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat, where Muslim votes are crucial, a seat earlier won by Maganti Gopinath in 2018 and 2023 before his death in June. Meanwhile, the BJD, once expected to extend support, has withdrawn, as Naveen Patnaik has distanced himself from backing the party that defeated him in last year’s Assembly election. Even without the BRS and BJD, the NDA has secured 438 votes with YSRCP’s support, and this tally could rise further.