BJP President JP Nadda announced on Sunday (17 August 2025) that CP Radhakrishnan will be the presidential candidate from the NDA. BJP President JP Nadda said that we want the next Vice President to be elected unanimously for which we have approached the opposition leaders.
394 MPs need to be supported to become Vice President
The Vice President of India is elected by members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated members of the Rajya Sabha. At present, if we look at the number of both houses, the NDA has an edge. The total capacity of both houses is currently 786 members. If all MPs cast their votes, then a candidate will need 394 votes to win.
Who is more powerful within Parliament?
In this election, NDA is easily in a position to win its candidate. There is currently 542 MPs in the Lok Sabha with 543 seats. The Bashirhat Lok Sabha seat of West Bengal is still vacant. The NDA has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha. At the same time, there are 542 members in the Rajya Sabha, but due to vacant 5 seats, there are currently 240 MPs. The NDA has 129 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, including the support of nominated members. In such a situation, the NDA has a total of 422 votes including both houses. This number is enough to win the Vice President’s election.
When is the election for the post of Vice President?
Under the Article 68 (2) of the Constitution, if the Vice President resigns from his post, he has passed away or in the event of being removed from the post should be held as soon as possible. Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on 21 July 2025 as Vice President, citing health reasons. Elections for the post of Vice President are to be held on 9 September.
After the announcement of the Vice President’s candidate from the NDA, PM Modi said, “CP Radhakrishnan ji has always focused on empowering community service and marginalized people. I am happy that the NDA has chosen him for the post of Vice President. He has a long experience as MP and Governor of various states.”
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