– Abdul Bari Masoud
On Sep. 9, 2025, the election for India’s 15th Vice President concluded with a victory for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, and RSS member C.P. Radhakrishnan, who secured 452 votes against the Opposition’s joint candidate, former SC judge B. Sudershan Reddy, who garnered 300 votes. Despite Radhakrishnan’s decisive win, which was larger than expected, the Opposition, led by the Congress, reframed the narrative: the BJP’s victory was not one of moral legitimacy, but a mere arithmetic triumph that highlighted a much deeper ideological rift.
As the results were announced, BJP leaders celebrated their victory, but the Opposition, particularly the Congress, refused to succumb to the conventional understanding of political contests. While Radhakrishnan’s victory could be seen as a numerical success, Congress leaders swiftly characterised it as both a moral and political defeat for the ruling party, underscoring that the true battle lay in the ideological domain.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s communications chief, expressed the Opposition’s sentiment on social media, asserting, “The Opposition stood united for the Vice-Presidential election. Its performance has undeniably been most respectable. Justice (retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy secured 40% of the vote, a significant improvement over the 26% achieved in the 2022 election.”
The Congress party’s message was clear: while they may have lost the election, the ideological battle was far from over, and their unity and performance were a testament to their resilience.
A United Opposition
The Congress and its allies in the Opposition bloc took pride in the cohesion and discipline they displayed during the election. All 315 Opposition MPs turned out to vote, marking an unprecedented 100% voter turnout from their ranks. This was, in itself, a remarkable achievement, given the diverse political spectrum of the alliance, which included parties from across the country – each with its own distinct ideologies and priorities.
The Opposition’s strong performance was significant not only because of the numbers but also because it demonstrated a rare moment of political unity in a landscape often defined by fragmentation and infighting. Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president, congratulated Radhakrishnan but also paid tribute to Reddy’s leadership. In his statement, he stressed that this election was more than just a contest of votes. “This was a battle of ideologies,” Kharge said, “reaffirming that governments with authoritarian tendencies must be checked to protect our Constitution and democracy.”
The Congress also pointed out the underlying reasons behind the election. It was prompted by the sudden and unexplained resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, which left the country with an open seat. This event was deemed unusual and unceremonious by the Opposition, further fuelling their sense of opposition to the ruling party’s style of governance.
The Arithmetical Victory and Cross-Voting
Despite the Opposition’s spirited defence, the math of the election was undeniably in the NDA’s favour. The final tally of 452 votes for Radhakrishnan and 300 for Reddy, though still a substantial margin, hinted at possible internal divisions within the Opposition. Congress, while claiming that their candidate had performed respectably, also acknowledged that the final result was inflated by cross-voting from within their ranks. Reports of 15 to 40 Opposition MPs voting in favour of Radhakrishnan or submitting invalid ballots were swiftly raised by BJP leaders, further complicating the Opposition’s narrative.
Jairam Ramesh, however, responded by dismissing these allegations. He argued that while the Opposition did not win, their strength lay in the fact that the BJP’s victory was not based on a purely numerical advantage but had been marred by defections and manipulations.
“The BJP’s arithmetical victory is both a moral and political defeat,” Ramesh stated. “The ideological battle continues undiminished.”
This statement from Congress encapsulated their broader political strategy: they may not have secured the Vice Presidency, but they had put up a strong fight against what they viewed as the authoritarian tendencies of the current government. In their view, the BJP’s reliance on numerical superiority and cross-voting only underscored the moral bankruptcy of the ruling party’s strategy.
A Battle of Ideologies
The Congress was careful to frame this contest as a clash of ideologies rather than a simple race for a political office. The party’s leadership emphasised that this election was not merely about a seat in government but about the survival of democratic values and constitutional principles in the face of what they described as an increasingly centralised and authoritarian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
In his post-election remarks, Congress leader Rajesh Thakur reinforced this message, claiming that the cross-voting for the NDA candidate was tantamount to “vote theft” and “vote dacoity.” By this, he meant that the BJP’s influence and tactics had extended beyond conventional party politics, seeking to destabilise the unity of the Opposition through dubious means.
Despite these accusations, the Opposition remained committed to its principles. Justice Reddy, in his statement, humbly accepted the defeat but emphasised the broader importance of the election.
The Symbol of Vice Presidency
The position of Vice President in India, though second in the constitutional hierarchy, carries a certain symbolic weight. It is a role that should ideally be above partisan politics, safeguarding the dignity of Parliament and ensuring a balanced and fair atmosphere for both the ruling and opposition benches. Congress, in its post-election statements, highlighted this point and underscored the importance of this office in preserving India’s democratic ideals.
Who is Radhakrishnan
Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the Governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024, after serving as the Governor of Jharkhand for nearly one-and-a-half years. Born on October 20, 1957 in a Brahmin family in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
His political journey began at the age of 16, when he joined RSS as a swayamsevak. By 1974, he had risen to become a state executive committee member of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the predecessor of BJP. From 2004 to 2007, Radhakrishnan served as President of Tamil Nadu BJP, a position that saw him spearheading a 19,000-km ‘Rath Yatra’ that spanned 93 days.
Kharge’s Advice
In the background of Dhankar’s partisan role, Kharge urged Radhakrishnan to uphold the highest standards of parliamentary tradition, especially given his political affiliation with the ruling party.
While BJP’s victory was celebrated by many, the Opposition’s united front and ideological resolve were impossible to ignore. The INDIA alliance, made it clear that this battle was far from over. Their performance in Vice-Presidential election, while not enough to win, had sent a strong message: that the spirit of democracy, dissent, and the fight for justice would continue to be the cornerstone of their political strategy.
In the months leading up to the assembly elections, particularly in Bihar, the Congress and its allies seemed determined to build on this momentum, hoping to shift the focus from mere electoral arithmetic to a broader, more inclusive ideological vision. The BJP, despite its victory, could not afford to rest easy; the Opposition’s moral and political challenge was far from finished.
The ideological battle, as the Congress put it, had only just begun. This story frames the 2025 Vice-Presidential election as a battle of ideologies, where the Opposition, despite its numerical defeat, managed to secure a moral victory by uniting its ranks and making a principled stand against the ruling party’s tactics.
