New Delhi, Sep 10
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday extended special thanks to some members of Parliament (MPs) of the INDIA bloc who voted with 'conscience', apparently hinting at cross-voting in the Vice-Presidential election, held a day earlier.
Soon after the results for the VP elections were declared, electing C.P. Radhakrishnan as the country’s next Vice President, the BJP and Congress sparred over ‘conscience vote’ as an adequate response to the ‘vote chori’ campaign.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress communications in charge, claimed that the Opposition stood united behind Justice Sudershan Reddy and all of its 315 MPs voted for him, in an unprecedented 100 per cent turnout.
However, this was contested by senior BJP leader B.L. Santhosh, who took to X to claim, “Voting happened through ballot papers & INDI Alliance got 15 votes less than their number. The INDI alliance leaders had campaigned for conscience vote. They got it in return.â€
The Vice-Presidential election, despite the results being evident from the beginning in terms of arithmetic, largely turned into an ideological battle and also a one for show of strength by the NDA and the UPA.
Kiren Rijiju’s congratulatory message to some Parliamentarians for voting with ‘conscience’ further emboldens the claims of cross-voting.
“NDA and all our friendly MPs remain united. Congratulations to everyone on electing a humble & efficient man and a true patriot as India's new Vice President,†he said in a post on X.
The keenly contested VP polls have resulted in NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan becoming the country’s next Vice President, succeeding Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The 68-year-old Radhakrishnan won the elections by over 150 votes. He got 452 first preference votes, while the retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy got 300 first preference votes.
The voting figures as they emerged showed that there was considerable cross-voting -- presumably from the Opposition MPs. At least 15 MPs have cross-voted for the NDA candidate. The NDA faction was jubilant as expected, claiming fissures within the Opposition's ranks despite the latter’s claims of unwavering unity within the bloc.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Conscience voting is a good practice in democracy. MPs should vote for what's best for the country, not just follow party lines blindly. Good to see some independent thinking!
The opposition's claim of 100% unity seems hollow now. 15 MPs cross-voting shows there are cracks in their alliance. INDIA bloc needs to introspect why their own members aren't convinced.
While I support democracy, this "conscience vote" narrative feels like political spin. If MPs wanted to vote differently, they should have been transparent about it rather than hiding behind secret ballot.
Radhakrishnan has an impressive track record as Maharashtra Governor. His experience will definitely benefit the Vice President's office. Good choice by NDA! ðŸ‘
The opposition should focus on building credible leadership instead of complaining about cross-voting. When you have strong candidates, you don't need to worry about conscience votes.
150+ vote margin is huge! This shows the NDA's strength and the widespread support for their candidate across party lines. Democracy is working as it should.
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