September 8, 2025
NEW DELHI – The stage is set for a crucial election of the Vice President on September 9, as the election, which has witnessed intense campaigning by both the NDA’s candidate, C P Radhakrishnan, and the opposition’s B Sudershan Reddy, heats up.
Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra, is pitted against Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, in a direct contest that has taken on an ideological tone. The election comes after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on July 21, citing health reasons, which left two years of his term remaining. However, the person elected will serve a full five-year term from the date of assuming office.
Radhakrishnan, the 68-year-old BJP leader and current Governor of Maharashtra, hails from Tamil Nadu. He has been a member of the BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and served as the state president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu between 2004 and 2007.
B Sudershan Reddy, the 79-year-old former Supreme Court judge from Telangana. Reddy was appointed a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995 and later became the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court. He served as a Supreme Court judge from 2007 to 2011 and was also the first Lokayukta of Goa.
The vice-presidential election has turned into a “South v/s South” contest, with Radhakrishnan hailing from Tamil Nadu and Reddy from Telangana.
The NDA’s decision to field Radhakrishnan as its vice-presidential candidate has put the DMK in a spot, as rejecting a candidate from Tamil Nadu could be portrayed as disregarding Tamil pride—an issue rivals are expected to highlight in the 2026 campaign. However, extending support to the BJP’s nominee would go against the DMK’s long-standing political positioning against the Centre.
Meanwhile, the opposition has countered with its own strategy by fielding an eminent Telugu face, making it difficult for parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana—the YSRCP and the BRS—to not back Reddy.
The opposition has however described the vice-presidential poll as an ideological battle. DMK MP Kanimozhi said, “This is an ideological fight. So the Opposition parties came together to select one candidate against the candidate who comes from an RSS background.” The opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, the Left parties, the Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, have rallied behind Reddy’s candidature.
The campaign was marred with allegations and counter allegations between the rival groups. During campaign trail Home Minister Amit Shah accused Sudershan Reddy of supporting Naxalism by passing a judgment that ended the practice of appointing Special Police Officers to fight the Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
Justice Reddy, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, headed the Bench that in 2011 delivered the landmark ruling in Nandini Sundar v State of Chhattisgarh, which ended Salwa Judum, the practice of using tribal youth as Special Police Officers to counter the Maoist insurgency in Chhattisgarh.
A group of retired Supreme Court judges later wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah, objecting to his remarks against Sudershan Reddy over the Salwa Judum judgement.The group of 18 former judges termed Shah’s remarks as “unfortunate” and said it would be wise to refrain from “name-calling.”
“The statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, publicly misinterpreting the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Salwa Judum case, is unfortunate. The judgment nowhere supports, either expressly or by compelling implication of its text, Naxalism or its ideology,” the statement signed by the 18 former judges had said.
“While the campaign for the office of the Vice-President of India may well be ideological, it can be conducted civilly and with dignity. Criticizing the so-called ideology of either candidate should be eschewed,” the letter said.
“Prejudicial misinterpretation of a judgment of the Supreme Court by a high political functionary is likely to have a chilling effect on the judges of the Supreme Court, shaking the independence of the judiciary,” they said.
The vice president, who is the second-highest constitutional authority in India and also serves as ex-officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, is elected by an electoral college comprising elected members of Rajya Sabha who are currently 233, with 5 vacancies and nominated members of Rajya Sabha who are currently 12 and the elected members of Lok Sabha who are currently 543, with 1 vacancy.
The total strength of the Electoral College is 788, but due to vacancies, it currently stands at 782. Under the prevailing dynamics of the Electoral College, a candidate requires at least 391 votes to win.The BJP-led NDA has a comfortable edge in the election, with a total of 422 members supporting them. This includes 293 members in the Lok Sabha and 129 members in the Rajya Sabha.
Both candidates have been campaigning intensely, vying for support from the Electoral College members. While Radhakrishnan’s win seems likely given the NDA’s numerical advantage, the opposition’s united stance makes this contest worth watching. The outcome of this election will determine the next Vice President of India, who will serve a full five-year term.