VP Election Cross-Voting Dispute Intensifies, Congress Seeks Investigation

A political storm has erupted in India following allegations of cross-voting by Opposition MPs in the Vice Presidential election held on September 9, 2025, with Congress leader Manish Tewari demanding a thorough investigation into what he calls a “serious breach of trust.” The controversy, which has deepened rifts within the INDIA Alliance, comes as the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) celebrates the victory of its candidate, C.P. Radhakrishnan, who secured an unexpectedly high 452 votes, defeating the Opposition’s nominee, retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, by a margin of 152 votes.

The election, conducted via secret ballot, has ignited accusations of betrayal and vote-buying, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seizing the opportunity to taunt the Opposition over its apparent lack of unity. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju fueled the fire with a provocative post on X, stating, “Special thanks to some MPs of INDI Alliance who voted with ‘Conscience’ for NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan in the VP election. NDA and all our friendly MPs remain united.” The remark, widely seen as a jab at the Opposition’s internal discord, has intensified the row ahead of crucial state elections in Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

Tewari, a senior Congress MP, called the alleged cross-voting “an extremely serious matter” that undermines the INDIA Alliance’s cohesion. “If there was cross-voting, it should be seriously investigated by each constituent of the INDIA Alliance,” he said, urging a “systematic and clinical investigation” to uncover the truth. The Congress claims its 315 MPs voted cohesively for Reddy, yet the Opposition candidate secured only 300 first-preference votes, 15 short of expectations. Meanwhile, Radhakrishnan’s 452 votes exceeded the NDA’s estimated strength of 438, which included 427 NDA MPs and 11 from the supportive YSR Congress Party.

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The discrepancy has led to speculation of cross-voting by at least 14 Opposition MPs, compounded by the invalidation of 15 votes, seven of which reportedly marked the wrong box for the NDA candidate. Opposition leaders have expressed frustration and suspicion, with some alleging foul play. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee claimed that “Rs 15-20 crore” may have been spent to sway votes, though he insisted his party’s 41 MPs remained loyal to Reddy. “Since this was a secret ballot, it’s difficult to confirm cross-voting or if votes were discarded,” Banerjee noted, suggesting a possible 50-50 split where 5-7 MPs may have defected.

Other Opposition figures have pushed back against the allegations. Nationalist Congress Party’s Supriya Sule questioned how cross-voting could be confirmed in a secret ballot, while Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav denied any defection from his party’s nine MPs. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant went further, accusing the BJP of orchestrating betrayal and leveraging agencies to blackmail MPs. “Are those who made votes invalid educated fools? Did they vote with their conscience, or were their votes bought?” Sawant asked, pointing to the invalid votes as evidence of manipulation.

The invalidation of 15 votes, including two with tick marks and one with a figure written on it, has added fuel to the controversy, with some speculating that deliberate errors or discarded votes may obscure the true extent of cross-voting. Despite denials from most Opposition parties, the shortfall in Reddy’s votes and Radhakrishnan’s surplus have cast a shadow over the INDIA Alliance’s unity, prompting internal discussions among parties like the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and JMM, which reportedly lost votes.

As the fallout continues, the BJP has capitalized on the narrative of Opposition disarray, with leaders like Sanjay Jaiswal claiming that 14 Opposition MPs voted for the NDA and another 15 deliberately invalidated their ballots. The Congress, meanwhile, has framed its 40% vote share as a “moral victory,” with Jairam Ramesh noting a 14% improvement over the 2022 Vice Presidential election. However, the specter of cross-voting and invalid votes threatens to undermine the Opposition’s credibility as it braces for upcoming electoral battles.

The secret ballot nature of the Vice Presidential election, where party whips do not apply, is meant to allow MPs to vote according to their conscience. In practice, however, party loyalty typically prevails, making the allegations of cross-voting a significant blow to the INDIA Alliance. As calls for a probe grow louder, the political fallout from this election is likely to reverberate, shaping the narrative for both the NDA and the Opposition in the months ahead.

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