Pralhad Joshi confident of NDA’s win in VP election, says ‘wise’ vote can’t go to INDIA bloc
NDA Confident of Big Win in Vice President Election
New Delhi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi showed strong confidence on Tuesday that the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate will win by a huge margin. He said lawmakers who vote wisely will never pick the INDIA bloc’s nominee. The Vice President election is happening today, pitting Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan from NDA against former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy from the opposition INDIA bloc.
Congress leaders like MP Manickam Tagore called on parliamentarians to vote smartly for their candidate. But Joshi hit back at reporters, saying, "If Congress really wants a wise choice, their alliance’s pick will lose even bigger. You can’t vote for him if you’re thinking straight. There’s real unhappiness inside Congress about their own candidate." He added, "We’re super confident of a thumping majority win."
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal echoed this, telling reporters, "The NDA candidate will definitely win." This Vice President poll carries big political importance because the Vice President also chairs the Rajya Sabha, playing a key role in how Parliament runs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely cast the first vote. Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ram Mohan Naidu, plus Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, are handling the election as official agents. Vote counting starts at 6 PM, with results expected later tonight.
The electoral college has 781 members: 542 elected Lok Sabha MPs and 239 Rajya Sabha members (233 elected and 12 nominated, despite six vacancies in both houses). Every vote counts equally in this secret ballot process. A candidate needs 391 votes to win outright.
The post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21 due to health issues, right at the start of Parliament’s monsoon session. Experts predict a close watch on this contest, even though NDA holds a numbers edge in the two houses. Still, everyone is eyeing possible cross-voting and the final tally this evening.
This Vice President election 2023 could shape key parliamentary decisions, so stay tuned for the results as they come in.
