V-P polls | Rajnath canvasses in support of Radhakrishnan, YSRCP pledges to back NDA candidate

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday (August 18, 2025) gathered support for the National Democratic Alliance’s Vice-Presidential candidate, Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, reaching out to non-NDA parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). While Mr. Singh has been canvassing in support of Mr. Radhakrishnan, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju has been appointed the latter’s polling agent. 

Mr. Radhakrishnan arrived in Delhi on Monday (August 18, 2025), where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other NDA leaders at Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s residence and will likely be felicitated at the NDA’s Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday (August 19, 2025). He is expected to file his nominations for the election on August 20.

Soon after meeting with Mr. Radhakrishnan, Mr. Modi posted on X, “Met Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji. Conveyed my best wishes on his being the NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee. His long years of public service and experience across domains will greatly enrich our nation. May he continue to serve the nation with the same dedication and resolve he has always demonstrated.”

Mr. Singh, meanwhile, managed to secure the support of the YSRCP after he spoke to party leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. YSRCP Lok Sabha member Maddila Gurumoorthy confirmed that his party, with 11 MPs — four in the Lok Sabha and seven in the Rajya Sabha — will be voting for Mr. Radhakrishnan. The DMK is part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), which held a meeting on Monday (August 18, 2025) evening, for its own candidate for the post of Vice-President. Thus, there was not much optimism in the NDA that it would support Mr. Radhakrishnan, who is also from Tamil Nadu.

BJD sources said that since Naveen Patnaik was hospitalised on Sunday (August 17, 2025) evening due to dehydration, no meeting as yet has been called by the party, to consider the issue.

The Electoral College for the Vice-Presidential election consists of members of both Houses of Parliament, and the NDA is comfortably placed to win the election. The election was necessitated after Mr. Dhankhar, the former Vice-President, resigned midterm citing health reasons, with two years left of his tenure. The election for the Vice-President’s post will be held on September 9.