The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance expected to win the Vice President Election on Tuesday, though the victory margin may smaller than in previous polls, as per sources. Therefore, the NDA is tracking every vote. The Vice President is elected by all Members of Parliament through a secret ballot. This allows MPs to vote freely, although they typically follow party lines.
Cross-voting is common. For example, Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress party and K Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi have occasionally supported the BJP in the past.
BJP Numbers in Vice President Election 2025
Currently, there are 239 Rajya Sabha MPs and 542 Lok Sabha MPs eligible to vote. However, since both Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and K Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi also abstain, the total number of MPs voting reduced to 770, making the majority mark 386. The NDA has 427 MPs.
Thus, on paper, the BJP’s candidate, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, appears to be a clear winner. The ruling party will also rely on support from Jagan Reddy and his YSR Congress, which has 11 MPs.
Congress Numbers in Elections
On the other side, the Congress-led opposition, known as the INDIA bloc, has chosen retired Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate in Vice President Election. Together, the opposition has 315 votes when considering both Houses.
This election will be tighter than in 2022, as the opposition has many more MPs due to a stronger performance in last year’s Lok Sabha election. However, this doesn’t give them a realistic chance of winning. Even if all opposition MPs vote for Justice Reddy, he will still be short by 100 to 135 votes.
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