New Delhi: C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected the 15th vice president of India on Tuesday (September 9) as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate polled 452 votes against the 300 won by the opposition INDIA bloc's nominee, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, to win the contest.

The election came almost two months after former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21 – the first day of the monsoon session of parliament – citing health grounds, despite having chaired the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha earlier that day.

Dhankhar's move has been described  as unprecedented in the history of India’s parliamentary democracy. He is believed to have been shunted by the BJP-led NDA that had nominated him. His tenure was set to last till 2027.

Since he posted his resignation on X, Dhankhar has not been seen in public, but he did surface on Tuesday, only to congratulate his successor Radhakrishnan through a written statement.

The opposition had pitched the election as an ideological battle, with the NDA having a comfortable majority in the contest.

Of the total 788 electors in the electoral college that comprises all MPs from both houses of parliament, there were seven vacancies (six in the Rajya Sabha and one in the Lok Sabha), bringing the effective number of MPs voting in the election to 781.

A total of 767 MPs voted in the election, of which 15 were declared invalid, bringing the halfway mark to win the election to 376.

Earlier, on Monday, 14 MPs including those from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Akali Dal had announced that they would abstain from the election.

While Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party had pledged support to the NDA, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that his party would support the INDIA bloc's Reddy.

The NDA with its 425 MPs already had a comfortable majority despite the abstentions of the BJD and the BRS as well as one MP each from the Akali Dal, the Zoram People’s Movement and the Voice of the People Party, and three independents whose preferences had not been indicated.

While Radhakrishnan secured a comfortable victory, the NDA candidate did not cross 500 votes this time, unlike in the two previous vice presidential elections. In the 2022 election, Dhankhar won 528 votes, while his predecessor M. Venkaiah Naidu got 516 votes.

Following the polling, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that the opposition had stood “united” with all 315 MPs turning out to vote.

“The Opposition has stood united. ALL of its 315 MPs have turned up for voting. This is an unprecedented 100% turnout,” he said.

Following Radhakrishnan’s victory, Reddy said that he accepts the outcome and though the verdict may not have been in his favour, “the larger cause” remained undiminished as “the ideological battle continues with ever greater vigour”.

“This journey has been a profound honour, offering me the opportunity to stand for the values that have guided my life-constitutional morality, justice and the dignity of every individual,” he said in a statement.

“Though the result is not in my favour, the larger cause we have collectively sought to advance remained undiminished. The ideological battle continues with ever greater vigour.”

Reddy faced a polarised contest with Union home minister Amit Shah accusing him of being a Naxal sympathiser for the Supreme Court’s 2011 Salwa Judum judgment. On Sunday, Reddy had urged MPs to “vote in favour of the country and not any party”.

Radhakrishnan, who is currently serving as Maharashtra governor, is a former two-term Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore who has also been the saffron party's Tamil Nadu president and had joined the BJP’s ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, as a youth.

His nomination and subsequent elevation as vice president comes just a year ahead of the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is keen to open its account after failing to make inroads in the southern state.

Following his election as vice president, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement said that Radhakrishnan’s “life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised”.

“I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse.”

Meanwhile Dhankhar, who had not spoken in public or issued a statement since his resignation on July 21, came out with a communique on Tuesday evening to congratulate Radhakrishnan.

Dhankhar said to Radhakrishnan that his “elevation to august office reflects trust and confidence by representatives of our nation”, PTI reported.

However, mystery continues to surround his resignation and whereabouts.

While Dhankhar is believed to be staying at Abhay Singh Chautala’s farmhouse according to reports, he has not spoken in public since his resignation. Neither has any member of the BJP shed any light on his whereabouts, or the circumstances that led to his resignation.

Dhankhar, who served a contentious tenure as vice president and faced an opposition motion for his removal in December, showed no indication of his impending resignation on the first day of the monsoon session.

In the initial 15 hours since his note announcing his resignation on health grounds was published on X, there had not been any public acknowledgements of his move. It was only the next day at noon that Modi wrote a curt post noting that Dhankhar had “got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice President of India”. He then wished him “good health”.

Earlier, as polling continued on Tuesday, opposition members had drawn attention to the circumstances in which the election was taking place. Samajwadi Party chief and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav told reporters that the BJP is a “use and throw party”.

“The entire country knows that the BJP is a use-and-throw party. The same thing happened with the Vice President, who is missing,” he said.

While Dhankhar had faced an impeachment notice moved by the opposition alleging partisan behaviour in conducting the business of the Rajya Sabha as its chairman, it was later dismissed by deputy Rajya Sabha chairman Harivansh citing “procedural impropriety” and attempts to “malign the incumbent Vice President”.

Following Radhakrishnan’s victory, Congress president and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge recalled Dhankhar’s exit on the first day of the monsoon session, calling it “still unexplained and unceremonious”.

“We hope the new Vice President-elect will uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions, ensuring equal space and dignity for the Opposition, and not succumb to pressures of the ruling dispensation. The Vice President, the second highest Constitutional office in the order of precedence, must be revitalised to reflect independence, fairness, and strength in safeguarding Democratic values,” said Kharge.

“We must also remember why this election was necessitated. Shri Jagdeep Dhankar resigned suddenly on the very day he chaired the opening of the Monsoon Session—an exit still unexplained and unceremonious. As we move forward, transparency, accountability, and respect for Constitutional positions must guide our institutions in letter and spirit.”

Following his victory, Radhakrishnan met Modi who congratulated him. Radhakrishnan said to reporters that the voting pattern showed the fight had been “nationalistic.”

“The other side camp said that this is an ideological fight, but from the voting pattern, we understand that the nationalistic ideology has become victorious,” he told reporters.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.