Vice-Presidential election marred by cross-voting allegations

NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan triumphed, securing 452 votes against INDI bloc candidate Margaret Alva Reddy’s 300, while 15 ballots were invalidated. His margin of victory stood at 152 votes.

Controversy erupted immediately as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to sway voting within the opposition. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the BJP offered Rs.15–20 crore to each opposition MP to secure their ballots in favor of the NDA. “This is a direct assault on parliamentary democracy,” Banerjee asserted.

The BJP swiftly rebuffed these charges, framing the unexpected support for Radhakrishnan as evidence of discord within the INDI alliance. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a pointed remark, thanked unnamed alliance MPs who voted for the NDA, praising them for heeding the “voice of conscience” rather than party directives.

Official data indicate the NDA’s core strength at 427 MPs, bolstered by 11 YSR Congress supporters, totaling 438 votes. Given Radhakrishnan’s tally, analysts deduce that at least 14 opposition MPs crossed party lines. The BJP, however, insists the figure may be 15 and contends some MPs deliberately cast invalid votes to mask their defection.

Leaders across the INDI front have reacted with alarm. Congress’s Manish Tiwari called for a “systematic and impartial investigation” into the breach. RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav maintained that all nine RJD MPs voted for the alliance but acknowledged the parliamentary leaders will review the outcome. NCP’s Supriya Sule questioned how the BJP could identify secret-ballot votes. Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) MP Arvind Sawant lambasted the BJP for “sowing seeds of betrayal” and accused state agencies of coercion.

Under the vice-presidential election’s secret ballot rules, party whips do not apply, theoretically safeguarding MPs’ autonomy. Yet the allegations of inducement and internal fissures underscore rising tensions ahead of pivotal state elections in Bihar and Tamil Nadu, where unity within alliances may prove crucial.