NEW DELHI: Opposition's vice presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi today congratulated NDA nominee M Venkaiah Naidu on his victory.
At the same time, Gandhi said that the vote he secured were an affirmation of "the right to free thought and speech".
Thanking the MPs and the parties that backed him in the election, he said they voted for what they felt was "national good". He said the number of votes he received was "beyond expectation".
The former West Bengal governor said that the MPs voted for him to affirm "the right to free thought and speech and the duty to serve pluralism and secularism".
"I congratulate M Venkaiah Naidu garu on his victory and wish him all the best in his new office of the vice president of all the sections of India.
"Secondly, I would like to thank all the members of the Parliament for having voted for me. I believe members who voted for me is beyond expectations or calculations," Gandhi told reporters after the poll result was out.
The former West Bengal governor and diplomat also stressed that the election saw two victories - one of Naidu and another of free speech.
"And the second victory belongs to all the people of India," he added.
Naidu got 516 votes out of total 771 votes cast while Gandhi could only manage 244 votes. Of the total 771 votes polled, 11 were found to be invalid.
Although 785 MPs are there in both the Houses of Parliament, 14 MPs could not vote.