"Many MPs of INDI alliance want to vote for CP Radhakrishnan": BJP's PP Chaudhary confident of NDA victory in VP polls

New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Exuding confidence in NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan's victory, BJP MP PP Chaudhary on Tuesday said that not only NDA MPs but several MPs from the INDIA bloc would also vote for him.
Speaking to reporters, Chaudhary said, "Apart from the votes of NDA MPs, other MPs will also vote in favour of NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan. Many MPs of the INDI alliance want to vote for NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan..."
Union Minister Satish Chandra Dubey said that the NDA has a clear majority and accused the opposition of trying to mislead voters.

"We are winning the elections. We have the majority...They (opposition) stole votes their entire life, and now they are trying to divert attention that votes are being stolen..." he said.
BJP MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also expressed confidence in the victory of the NDA candidate saying that Radhakrishnan will emerge victorious with a "huge margin."
"...We are going to vote for NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan. He is going to win with a huge margin. I feel that NDA allies are united, but besides them, MPs of other parties are also going to vote for him. He will win with a record number of votes..." Bidhuri told reporters.
Voting for the 15th Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi exercising his franchise first, along with other prominent ministers and MPs. The counting of votes is scheduled for the evening.
CP Radhakrishnan is contesting against joint opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy. Both the leaders are contesting against each other in a high-stakes election, as it came 50 days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as the Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.
Both the BJP-led NDA and opposition parties held mock polls ahead of the crucial day earlier, telling the MPs to be cautious in exercising their franchise lest their vote be invalid.
It seems that NDA's candidate CP Radhakrishnan has an edge with 427 MPs, well above the majority mark of 391, supporting him for the post. In the Lok Sabha, Radhakrishnan is expected to receive 293 votes, and 134 votes are likely to be cast in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.
Joint opposition candidate Reddy is backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the lower house and 105 in the upper house of the Parliament.
Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided to abstain from voting in the Vice Presidential elections, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced a "boycott", citing public "upset and anger" in Punjab over no help from the central or state government for the ongoing flood crisis. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) also announced that it will not take part in the voting. (ANI)