NDA fields veteran RSS leader and Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan, while the Opposition backs former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy in what is being billed as an ideological contest.
Photo: ANI
The stage is set for today’s vice-presidential election, as members of both Houses of Parliament prepare to cast their votes. Framed as a contest of ideologies,the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded veteran RSS leader CP Radhakrishnan, while the opposition has nominated former Supreme Court judge Balkrishna Sudershan Reddy.
Polling will take place in Room F-101, Vasudha, at Parliament House, as announced by Sabha Secretary-General and Returning Officer PC Mody. Voting will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the numbers stacked in favour of the ruling alliance in the electoral college.
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Several regional parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), are abstaining from the election, choosing to distance themselves from the national coalitions.
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The National Democratic Alliance has named Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the vice-presidential election. A former Lok Sabha MP and ex-Governor of Jharkhand, Radhakrishnan is credited with “laying the party’s foundation in the south” during his tenure as Tamil Nadu BJP president between 2004 and 2007.
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. His nomination is being viewed as a political move by the BJP, which is seeking to strengthen its foothold in Tamil Nadu ahead of the state elections scheduled next year.
With more than four decades of political experience, Radhakrishnan is regarded as a respected figure in Tamil Nadu politics. He began his political journey as an RSS Swayamsevak and, in 1974, became a member of the Tamil Nadu State Executive Committee of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
In 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Radhakrishnan was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore in 1998 and was re-elected in 1999. As a Member of Parliament, he served on the Parliamentary Committee for Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), the Consultative Committee for Finance, and was part of the Special Parliamentary Committee investigating the Stock Exchange Scam.
Between 2004 and 2007, Radhakrishnan held the position of Tamil Nadu BJP President. He is also known for leading a 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’ across the state during his tenure.
The Opposition has fielded former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy, who retired in 2011 after a five-year stint on the bench. He will be the first former apex court judge to contest a vice-presidential election.
Balkrishna Sudershan Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge. He was the first Lokayukta of Goa.
Born in July 1946 in Ranga Reddy district of undivided Andhra Pradesh (Present day Telangana), Reddy earned Bachelor of Laws degree from Osmania University in 1971 and began his legal career the same year by enrolling as an advocate with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh.
Later, he was appointed as Government pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court and served in the post for two years between 1988 and 1990.
He also served as additional standing counsel for the Government of India in 1990. In 1993, Reddy was elected as the president of Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates Association.
He became a judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 1993.
Reddy was appointed as chief justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005. He was elevated to a Supreme Court judge in January 2007 and retired in 2011.
While the ruling NDA alliance has the numbers to win the election, there is an outside chance for Reddy as well provided he gets support from some of NDA’s allies, specifically Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons and the need for medical care. His resignation, effective immediately, was submitted under Article 67(a) of the Constitution.
The unexpected announcement came on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, sending shockwaves across the political landscape. Dhankhar, who assumed office in August 2022 as India’s 14th Vice President, succeeded Venkaiah Naidu.
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