Nearly 96 percent of Members of Parliament, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, had cast their votes by 3 PM on Tuesday for the Vice Presidential election.

Sources reported that 96 percent voting was recorded by 3 PM, although the voting time is until 5 PM.

Sources associated with the opposition stated that around 760 MPs had voted by 3 PM.

Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha participate in this election and are not bound by a whip.

C.P. Radhakrishnan is the candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for the Vice President post, directly contesting against the opposition candidate Sudarshan Reddy.

For the election of the country’s 17th Vice President, the electoral college includes 233 elected members of Rajya Sabha (currently five seats are vacant), 12 nominated members, and 543 elected members of Lok Sabha (currently one seat is vacant). The total members in the electoral college are 788 (currently 781).

Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have decided to stay away from the election. In such a scenario, the total number of votes cast could be around 770.

Voting for the Vice Presidential election began at 10 AM on Tuesday and will conclude at 5 PM. Results are expected to be announced by late evening.

Prime Minister Modi was the first to vote. Modi cast his vote at the polling center set up in Room No. 101, Vasudha, Parliament House, along with Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jitendra Singh, and L. Murugan.

Before leaving for his visit to flood-affected Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, Modi posted on ‘X’, « Voted in the 2025 Vice Presidential election. »

Among the early voters were Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, and Syed Nasir Hussain.

Former Prime Minister, 92-year-old Deve Gowda, arrived at the polling center in a wheelchair. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge were seen walking hand-in-hand to the polling center.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, and several other leaders also cast their votes.

During the recent monsoon session of Parliament, Jagdeep Dhankhar had resigned from the post of Vice President citing health reasons, although his term had two years remaining. This election is being held due to his resignation.

This time, both candidates are from South India. Radhakrishnan is from Tamil Nadu while Reddy is from Telangana.

NDA Vice Presidential candidate Radhakrishnan belongs to the prominent OBC community Gounder in Tamil Nadu and has a background with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Radhakrishnan was appointed Governor of Jharkhand in 2023 and was then transferred to Maharashtra in July 2024.

Unlike his predecessor Dhankhar, Radhakrishnan has largely refrained from publicly commenting on controversial political issues as Governor.

He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore in 1998 and was re-elected from the same seat in 1999.

According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently praised Radhakrishnan’s simple lifestyle and dedication to public service while holding various positions, and said that while Radhakrishnan might have great interest in sports, he doesn’t play games in politics.

Opposition’s joint candidate Reddy is a former Supreme Court judge and

Parliament House

Parliament House is the meeting place of the Australian Parliament, located in the national capital, Canberra. It was officially opened in 1988, replacing the provisional Parliament House, to commemorate Australia’s bicentenary. The building is a significant example of modern Australian architecture and is built into Capital Hill, symbolizing its democratic foundation.

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha is the lower house of India’s bicameral Parliament, located in New Delhi. It was established in 1952 following India’s independence and the adoption of its constitution, which created a democratic republic. Members are directly elected by the people, and the house is responsible for forming the government and making laws for the country.

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha is the upper house of India’s bicameral Parliament, established in 1952 following the adoption of the country’s constitution. It represents the states and union territories of India and is a permanent body that is not subject to dissolution, with its members serving six-year terms.

National Democratic Alliance

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is not a place or cultural site, but a major political coalition in India. It was formed in 1998 and is currently led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The alliance has a long history of governing the country and is composed of several regional and national political parties.

Congress Parliamentary Party

The Congress Parliamentary Party is the parliamentary wing of the Indian National Congress, functioning as the group of its elected members in the Indian Parliament. It was historically formed to lead the national movement and later became the dominant political force in the early decades of independent India. Its history is deeply intertwined with the nation’s post-colonial development and the leadership of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Biju Janata Dal

The Biju Janata Dal is a regional political party in the Indian state of Odisha, not a physical place or cultural site. It was founded in 1997 by Naveen Patnaik and is named after his father, the former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. The party’s history is defined by its governance in Odisha, holding power in the state since 2000.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) is not a place or cultural site, but a major regional political party in India. It was founded in 2001 by K. Chandrashekar Rao, with the primary objective of advocating for the formation of a separate Telangana state, which was successfully achieved in 2014. The party subsequently governed the state of Telangana and is central to its modern political history.

Shiromani Akali Dal

Shiromani Akali Dal is a major political party in India, historically representing the Sikh community’s interests. It was formally established in 1920 as a part of the Sikh Gurdwara Reform Movement to liberate Sikh shrines from corrupt mahants (custodians). The party has a long history of advocating for Sikh political and religious rights and has been a dominant political force in the state of Punjab.