CP Radhakrishnan trounces Reddy 452–300 in Vice-President polls marked by cross-voting

Agencies

September 9, 2025

New Delhi, Sept 9: NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan was on Tuesday elected as the new Vice-President of India, defeating Opposition candidate Justice B. Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes.

Radhakrishnan polled 452 first-preference votes against Reddy’s 300 in an election that brought cheer to the ruling BJP, which managed to draw support from at least 13 MPs outside its camp.

Of the 767 MPs eligible, 14 abstained — seven from BJD, four from BRS, two independents and one from the Akali Dal. Votes of 15 MPs were declared invalid.

Announcing the results, Returning Officer P.C. Mody said that Radhakrishnan, currently Governor of Maharashtra, had been duly elected as Vice-President.

The snap election became necessary following the surprise resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, two years and 20 days before completion of his term. Dhankhar quit after receiving an impeachment notice against Justice Yashwant Varma from the Opposition — a move that caught the BJP off guard.

Ahead of voting, Radhakrishnan had a committed support base of 439 MPs, including 11 from YSR Congress, while Justice Reddy was assured of 324. The preference of four MPs remained uncertain. The Opposition, which expected Reddy to secure 315–320 votes, suffered a setback as at least 13 MPs from its side appear to have crossed over. Observers suggest the actual number could be higher.

After the outcome, Justice Reddy congratulated his rival, saying:
“I humbly accept this verdict with an abiding faith in the democratic processes of our great Republic. This journey has been a profound honour, offering me the opportunity to stand for the values that have guided my life — constitutional morality, justice, and the dignity of every individual.”

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh sought to highlight positives for the Opposition, noting that Reddy secured 40% of votes this time compared to 26% in the 2022 Vice-Presidential polls. He asserted that while the BJP had won arithmetically, it had suffered “a moral and political defeat” and stressed that the ideological battle “continues unabated.”

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Israel shifts forces deeper into Gaza, strikes hit families trapped inside

News Network

November 21,2025

Local authorities say the Israeli military has expanded the so-called “yellow line” truce demarcation in Gaza City and repositioned its forces deeper into the territory in violation of a ceasefire agreement that came into force on October 10, besieging dozens of Palestinian families.

Gaza’s Government Media Office announced in a statement on Thursday that Israeli forces widened the boundary by shifting the markers, and advanced roughly 300 meters (984 feet) into the neighborhoods of Ash-Shaaf, An-Nazzaz and Baghdad Street.

The move pushed further into civilian areas, trapping families who were unable to flee as tanks rolled forward, it added.

“The fate of many of these families remains unknown amidst the shelling that targeted the area,” the office said, adding that the expansion of the yellow line shows a “blatant disregard” for the ceasefire deal.

On Friday, sources said the Israeli military carried out continued air and artillery strikes inside the so-called “yellow line” east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to the reports, Israeli warplanes and tanks targeted areas within the zone. One Palestinian was reported killed and several others wounded in the strikes, the sources said.

The fresh aggression came only a day after 25 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City and Khan Younis on Wednesday.

The media office reported that Israel has consistently violated the truce deal since its implementation last month, with near-daily attacks by air, artillery and direct shootings.

The office said over 400 violations have been documented. These breaches have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 Palestinians and left hundreds injured.

The Government Media Office in Gaza urged the guarantors of the ceasefire — the US, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey — to take swift action to halt the ongoing violations and facilitate the delivery of food, shelter materials, medical aid, and infrastructure equipment.

The so-called “yellow line,” set out in the agreement between Israel and Hamas resistance movement, refers to a non-physical partition where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the truce deal took effect.

It has allowed Israel, which routinely fires at Palestinians who approach the line, to retain control over more than half of the Gaza Strip.

International bodies, including the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and other rights groups, have concluded that the Israeli war on Gaza amounts to genocide.

In the attacks in Gaza since October 2023, Israel has killed at least 69,546 people and injured 170,833 others, leveling large swaths of the territory and displacing almost all of the population.

Comments