The vice-presidential election scheduled for September 9, 2025, presents a contest more significant for its implications than for its likely outcome. The nomination of the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) C. P. Radhakrishnan against the INDIA bloc’s consensus candidate, former Supreme Court Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, sets the stage for a battle defined by sharply contrasting backgrounds and ideologies. The arithmetic of the electoral college, comprising 782 members from both Houses of Parliament, heavily favours the NDA. With a strength of 423 MPs, the coalition’s numerical supremacy makes the election of Radhakrishnan a near certainty, provided its allies remain unified. The electoral process itself, a secret ballot using a single transferable vote, offers little room for upset given this clear majority. Despite the predictable result, the opposition’s choice of Justice Reddy is a calculated political move. A retired Supreme Court judge with a distinguished legal career, Reddy’s nomination is designed to appeal beyond party lines and create fissures within the NDA’s regional support base. His longstanding professional association as a lawyer for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) administration in Andhra Pradesh places the party, a key NDA ally, in an awkward position. The INDIA bloc’s outreach to neutral parties like the BRS and YSRCP, leveraging Reddy’s deep roots in Andhra politics, aims to challenge the NDA’s cohesion. However, it is unlikely that either TDP or YSRCP will agree to break ranks with NDA. The context of this election is overshadowed by the sudden and unexplained departure of the incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, three years before the end of his term. His tenure as Rajya Sabha Chairman was marked by an aggressive partisanship that frequently saw him denigrating the opposition. Speculation suggests his fall from favour may have been linked to his independent decision to allow a motion for impeachment against a judge, a move perceived as overstepping his mandate in the current political arrangement. This episode serves as a cautionary tale that absolute loyalty to the ruling dispensation does not guarantee security of position. This history places immense pressure on his successor. The role of the Rajya Sabha Chairman has become critical at a time when the principle of majoritarianism often overrides established parliamentary conventions. The fundamental question is whether the new Vice President will act as an impartial arbiter, upholding constitutional norms and protecting the rights of the opposition, or function merely as an extension of the executive’s will. The selection of a Vice President presents both opportunities and risks. On the one hand, the contest forces a national debate on the neutrality of constitutional posts and allows the opposition to signal its ideological stance through a candidate of high legal standing. On the other hand, the foregone nature of the result risks reinforcing the perception that parliamentary roles are determined by brute majority rather than a need for balanced governance. Ultimately, the true test for the victor will not be the election itself, but the manner in which they conduct the proceedings of the Upper House. The next Chairman’s ability to function as a balancing force, rather than as an agent of the majority, will determine the health of parliamentary democracy and prove whether the office can rise above the political fray.
Thursday, August 21, 2025