Manish Tewari calls for systematic probe into Veep poll cross-voting claims

Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari on Wednesday strongly reacted to the alleged cross-voting by MPs of the INDIA bloc in the recently concluded Vice Presidential elections, calling for a thorough investigation by each constituent of the alliance.

His remarks come amid rising speculation following the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate CP Radhakrishnan’s victory, which saw the INDIA bloc’s vote tally fall short by 15.

“If there was cross-voting, then it should be seriously investigated by each of the constituents of the INDIA Alliance. Cross-voting is an extremely serious matter,” Tewari said in an interview with news agency ANI. “If at all what is being said or speculated has an iota of truth in it, it deserves a systematic and clinical investigation.”

His comments came in the wake of BJP leaders, including Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and BJP General Secretary BL Santhosh, taking veiled digs at the opposition.

Rijiju had earlier posted on X, thanking INDIA bloc MPs who had "voted with conscience" for the NDA candidate. Santhosh further claimed that the INDIA bloc’s nominee received 15 fewer votes than expected, suggesting internal dissent.

The opposition’s candidate, Justice (Retred) B Sudershan Reddy, secured around 40 per cent of the votes, an outcome described as “respectable” by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh. However, the shortfall has raised concerns of disunity and defection within the opposition alliance.

When asked about the Nepal unrest, Manish Tewari made pointed remarks on the growing political unrest in the South Asian region, claiming that these developments were not mere coincidence.

“What happened to Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh and KP Sharma Oli in Nepal is not coincidental,” Tewari wrote on X. “Triggers may be domestic but an orchestrated attempt is being made to destabilise the South Asian region and bring about regime change.”

He cautioned that similar destabilisation efforts “will happen elsewhere also,” without naming specific actors behind the alleged orchestration.

He also voiced concerns about insufficient flood relief in Punjab and warned of geopolitical instability in South Asia, signaling that the Congress party is closely watching both domestic political cohesion and regional developments. He urged the central government to reassess the damage and provide proportionate support not just in Punjab, but also in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, which were similarly affected.

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