CP Radhakrishnan Elected 15th Vice President with 452 Votes

Sudershan Reddy's Tally Shows Cracks in Opposition

- VINAY KUMAR

Nominee of the ruling NDA alliance and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan was declared the winner of the vice-presidential contest, having secured 452 first preference votes against the joint Opposition's candidate, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, who got 300 first preference votes. Returning Officer and Rajya Sabha Secretary-General P C Mody announced here on Tuesday.

The result meant a victory margin of 152 votes for Radhakrishnan, who will now become the 15th Vice-President of India. The voting began at 10 a.m. and the process was completed at 5 p.m. Counting of votes began at 6 p.m.

Regional parties like the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) abstained from the elections. BJD said its decision is part of its policy of "maintaining an equal distance" from both the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led INDIA blocs. BRS working president K T Rama Rao said his party's move is an expression of "anguish" of Telangana's farmers over the shortage of urea in the state. SAD said it will boycott the poll in the wake of floods in Punjab.