386 Votes Needed In VP Polls, NDA May Get 436: Not Just Win, BJP Is Aiming For Good Margin Too

Last Updated:September 08, 2025, 18:55 IST

It is a foregone conclusion that National Democratic Alliance's Vice-Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan is going to win the Vice-President's election on Tuesday

No wonder the BJP is not only ensuring its allies are on board, but also non-BJP, non-Congress parties are either on board to support their candidate or abstain altogether. (File)

Going by the numbers, it is a foregone conclusion that National Democratic Alliance’s Vice-Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan is going to win the Vice President’s election on Tuesday. But for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA, it’s not just a win that matters at this point, but the margin.

After the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP had claimed it would cross 300 seats but won 240, the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc had labelled the third consecutive win as Opposition’s “moral victory". “This election is the moral victory of INDIA. It is a victory of positive politics. It is a victory of PDA (Pichde Dalit Alpsankhyak). 2024’s message is also full of responsibility for the INDIA bloc. This election is a new era of positive politics, pro-Constitution people have won, the Constitution has won," Akhilesh Yadav had said in July last year during a Parliament discussion.

A year has passed, but the importance of the margin of win hasn’t gone off the BJP’s mind. No wonder the BJP is not only ensuring its allies are on board, but also non-BJP, non-Congress parties are either on board to support their candidate or abstain altogether.

The Crucial Neutrals

While votes are largely cast according to party lines, there cannot be any whip that any political parties can issue.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided to abstain from Tuesday’s VP Poll. K Chandrashekhar Rao’s son KTR has blamed both the BJP and Congress for this abstention, but it suits the NDA more than the INDIA Bloc. The party has just four MPs.

Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) parliamentary party leader YV Subba Reddy met NDA Vice-Presidential Candidate CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday evening, announcing their support. This comes as a big relief for the NDA as Jagan’s party has 11 MPs. Mithun Reddy, who was in jail, will get interim bail to cast his ballot for the VP poll which means the party will be in full force on Tuesday.

Naveen Patnaik, whose party Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has been supporting the BJP in many legislations in the past, has changed its position after its loss in Odisha. On Monday, BJD MP Sasmit Patra announced, “After discussions between our party president Naveen Patnaik and senior leadership of the party, it has been decided that we will abstain from tomorrow’s vice-presidential election. We remain equidistant from both the NDA and INDIA alliance…" The BJD has 7 MPs.

The Likely Number Game

There are approximately 781 members in total in both houses who can vote. As Patnaik and KCR will abstain, the total number comes down to 770, which brings the majority mark down to 386.

The NDA, on both houses together, has MP count that crosses 400. What’s even more interesting, Reddy’s 11 MPs will additionally vote for former Maharashtra Governor Radhakrishnan.

This poll is largely symbolic for the opposition (similar to 2017 and 2022 contests), as the ruling NDA holds a comfortable edge.

But if all goes well, by the end of Tuesday, the NDA will have 436 votes, while they could win by just 386. This number stretch is needed for the NDA’s ego that has been hurt since the “moral victory" jibe and yet to be healed in spite of the many electoral wins since.

Anindya Banerjee

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...Read More

Anindya Banerjee, Associate Editor brings over fifteen years of journalistic courage to the forefront. With a keen focus on politics and policy, Anindya has garnered a wealth of experience, with deep throat in ...

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News politics 386 Votes Needed In VP Polls, NDA May Get 436: Not Just Win, BJP Is Aiming For Good Margin Too

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