The Vice Presidential election, concluded on September 9th, has triggered a political storm following C.P. Radhakrishnan’s victory as the NDA candidate. The outcome has been clouded by accusations of cross-voting and vote buying, leading to a sharp exchange between the BJP and opposition parties. TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee has been at the forefront of these allegations, accusing the BJP of spending up to 20 crore rupees per MP to secure their votes. He contends that the BJP’s actions represent an attempt to undermine democratic principles.
Radhakrishnan secured 452 votes, while B. Sudarshan Reddy, the opposition candidate, garnered 300 votes. The voting pattern has raised questions about potential cross-voting among MPs. Banerjee cited conversations he had, claiming to have learned about the substantial financial incentives offered by the BJP to sway votes. He criticized the elected representatives for betraying the public’s trust and confidence.
Banerjee highlighted that the NDA gained more votes while the INDIA bloc’s support decreased. He referenced prior instances of alleged manipulation by the BJP. Furthermore, he drew attention to the fact that the voting was secret and also brought up the 2021 Bengal elections and 2024 attempts to bribe polling agents.
Other opposition leaders have also weighed in on the matter. Manish Tewari from the Congress called for a serious investigation into any instances of cross-voting. Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD confirmed his party’s commitment to voting for the INDIA bloc. Supriya Sule from NCP (Sharad Pawar) questioned how the BJP could know the voting patterns. Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) has criticized the BJP, accusing them of betrayal and exploiting agencies.
The BJP has dismissed these accusations as unfounded. State BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya stated that the election results reflected the NDA’s cohesion and the opposition’s disarray.