"How were 15 votes invalid?" Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant questions Vice Presidential poll

New Delhi [India], September 10 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday questioned the results of the Vice Presidential election, raising concerns over 15 invalid votes and the drop in support for the NDA's candidate compared to the last election.
Sawant also pointed out that the opposition's vote share has increased from 26 per cent to 40 per cent.
Speaking to ANI, Arvind Sawant said,"...He (C.P. Radhakrishnan) must have brought them (the votes)...How were 15 votes invalid?... Last time, Jagdeep Dhankhar received 528 votes; this time, they (the BJP) received 452 votes. Why did the number decrease? We (the opposition) received 26% votes last time and received 40% this time..."
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari refused to comment on the probability of alleged cross-voting by the INDIA bloc MPs in the recently concluded Vice Presidential election, and said that parties in the opposition will have to review the same.
Tiwari said that joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy secured 40 per cent of the vote, which is 14 per cent more than the votes the opposition received last time.
"I congratulate CP Radhakrishnan on his victory. As far as the results are concerned, the opposition got 26 per cent of the votes the last time. This time, it rose to 40 per cent. There is danger knocking at PM Modi's door. If cross-voting was made to happen, it is wrong. But I won't comment on it. There are several parties, and all of them will review it. Then I will make an official comment on it," Tiwari told ANI.
A day earlier, CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, was elected as the 15th Vice President of India after securing 452 first preference votes. INDIA bloc candidate Justice (Retd) B Sudershan Reddy received 300 votes, while 15 votes were declared invalid.
A total voter turnout of 98.20 per cent was recorded, with 767 MPs casting their votes out of 781.
Following the announcement of results, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated CP Radhakrishnan and expressed confidence that the newly elected Vice President would strengthen India's constitutional values and contribute positively to parliamentary discourse.
"Congratulations to Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election. His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse," Prime Minister Modi wrote on X.
Furthermore, 13 MPs abstained from voting in the election. These include seven MPs from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), four from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), one MP from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and one Independent MP.
The Vice President's post has been vacant since July 21, 2025, as Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his position, citing health reasons. (ANI)