As celebrations and recriminations unfold post-VP election, the episode underscores how even the most symbolic elections are rarely free of controversy
These days, nothing happens in the political arena which can be called smooth and flawless. The recent Vice-Presidential election is no exception. While the NDA candidate won by a fair margin, allegations of cross-voting and horse-trading are still doing the rounds in the corridors of power. The office of Vice-President is a largely ceremonial. A secret ballot decides who would be the next Vice President. Though a formality, it can serve as a demonstration of strength and unity, as well as a precursor to the ensuing elections elsewhere.
The election of NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan as India’s next Vice President has triggered a political storm, with allegations of cross-voting by Opposition MPs dominating the post-poll narrative. While the BJP celebrated the victory as a mandate for “a humble and efficient patriot,” the INDIA bloc is grappling with questions of internal unity and credibility. Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes —14 more than the NDA’s combined strength of 438 (including support from YSR Congress’s 11 MPs). By contrast, Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy managed only 300 votes, despite the bloc claiming the support of 315 MPs.
The discrepancy immediately raised suspicions of cross-voting, further amplified by the rejection of 15 ballots. Congress leader Manish Tewari called the development a “serious breach of trust.” Since the Vice-Presidential election is conducted through secret ballot and party whips are not applicable, MPs are technically free to vote according to conscience.
Yet in practice, lawmakers rarely defy party lines — making the alleged cross-voting particularly damaging for the Opposition ahead of crucial state elections in Bihar and Tamil Nadu. In damage-control mode, leaders from various INDIA bloc parties scrambled to deny any betrayal. RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav insisted all nine MPs of his party had backed the alliance candidate while Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee alleged that money was used to buy votes while maintaining that all 41 TMC MPs supported the Opposition nominee.
Adding to the intrigue, seven of the 15 invalid votes followed a similar pattern: ballots marked for the NDA candidate but placed incorrectly. Two carried tick marks, and one had a figure scribbled on it — raising suspicion about deliberate sabotage.
For the Opposition, the episode has exposed cracks in what was projected as a united front. For the BJP, it is a morale boost that reinforces its narrative of a fragmented Opposition incapable of cohesive action. With state polls looming, the controversy over cross-voting in the Vice-Presidential election is likely to echo well beyond Parliament’s walls. But ultimately, it is a loss to Indian democracy, where every election becomes suspicious, and the conduct of MPs — as well as allegations and counter-allegations — fly, thereby giving air to the role of money power and malpractices.
