NEW DELHI: In a vote that was expected to be a symbolic show of strength for the Opposition, the Vice-Presidential election on Tuesday has instead left the INDIA bloc red-faced with numbers that clearly reveal cross-voting by at least 15 of its own MPs.
The NDA’s candidate CP Radhakrishnan secured a win over Opposition-backed Justice B Sudhershan Reddy with a margin of 152 votes, one of the narrowest in recent vice-presidential contests.
Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh declared on X that all 315 Opposition MPs had turned up to vote, calling it an “unprecedented 100% turnout.” By that logic, Reddy should have received at least 315 votes—even more if factoring in the Aam Aadmi Party’s 12 MPs, who were expected to support him despite their uneasy alignment with the INDIA bloc.
Instead, Reddy received just 300 votes, falling short by 15. Some votes may have been invalid, but the numbers point to a more uncomfortable truth: deliberate cross-voting by Opposition MPs.
Workshops were conducted. Strategy sessions were held. Yet when it came down to the count, floor coordination -- the very backbone of parliamentary strategy -- seems to have failed. Of the 781 MPs eligible to vote, 13 abstained, including members of the BJD, BRS, SAD, and one independent. However, the more damning statistic is the number of INDIA bloc MPs who seemingly voted for the NDA candidate.
The BJP has been quick to capitalise on the apparent breach, portraying the outcome not just as a numerical victory but as a psychological one, proof that the much-touted Opposition alliance remains a house divided.
While Congress sources reportedly blamed the AAP for not fully backing Justice Reddy, that deflection doesn’t account for the full 15-vote deficit. Even assuming the AAP abstained, the numbers don’t add up — unless Opposition MPs actively chose to vote across party lines.
Perhaps the most alarming aspect for the INDIA bloc isn’t just the cross-voting itself, but how unprepared it seemed to be for the possibility. Despite extensive planning for the Vice-Presidential election, ostensibly a low-risk, low-drama affair, there was little follow-through. No mechanism appears to have been in place to detect wavering MPs.