Cross-vote adds to CPR's victory margin in V-P poll

BJP-led NDA's nominee C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next Vice President of India on Tuesday, defeating the Opposition's joint candidate, Justice B Sudershan Reddy, by a margin of 152 votes.

- PREETHA NAIR @New Delhi

While Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes, Reddy managed to poll only 300.

Radhakrishnan, a BJP veteran from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governor, has served as a two-term member of the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The NDA has projected him as an untainted leader with rich political and administrative experience for the vice president's office.

While Radhakrishnan's victory was on expected lines, the Opposition INDIA block suffered a major setback in the hotly contested election, which witnessed cross-voting by at least 14 MPs.

The vote tally suggested some cross-voting in favour of Radhakrishnan as the BJP claimed that at least 15 Opposition members voted for the NDA nominee.