Why in news?
Polling for the Vice Presidential election was held on 9 September 2025. Jagdeep Dhankhar had resigned, and the contest was between CP Radhakrishnan and former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy.
How is the Vice President elected?
- Electoral College: All elected and nominated members of both houses of Parliament vote. Unlike the Presidential election, state legislators are not part of this process.
- Equal vote value: Each Member of Parliament’s vote has the same value (1), making counting straightforward.
- Ballot paper and preferences: Ballots are bilingual and list candidates in one column. MPs indicate their preferences (1, 2, 3…) beside the names. Writing numbers incorrectly or leaving preferences blank invalidates that vote.
- Quota calculation: The winning candidate must secure a quota equal to half of the valid votes cast plus one (e.g., if 780 MPs vote, the quota is 391).
- Counting and transfer: First preferences are tallied. If no candidate meets the quota, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes transferred to the next preferences until one candidate crosses the quota.
- Secret ballot: Voting is confidential and not subject to party whip, allowing MPs to vote as they choose.
Why use the single transferable vote?
- Democratic legitimacy: Ensures the Vice President enjoys majority support across parties rather than winning by a simple plurality.
- Checks dominance: Preference voting reduces chances of a one‑sided victory and discourages strategic fragmentation.
- Institutional balance: Strengthens the Vice President’s role as the ex‑officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The election result saw CP Radhakrishnan elected as India’s fifteenth Vice President with a comfortable margin.