Battle of ideology continues with greater vigour: Cong on VP poll results

Opposition INDIA bloc candidate B. Sudershan Reddy on Tuesday conceded defeat in the vice-presidential election, but stressed that the contest was never only about numbers. As NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan was declared elected with 452 votes against Reddy’s 300, the retired judge argued that the “ideological battle continues with ever greater vigour”.

“I humbly accept this outcome with an abiding faith in the democratic processes of our great republic,” Reddy said, calling the opportunity to stand for Constitutional morality, justice, and the dignity of every individual a “profound honour”. He also wished Radhakrishnan “the very best” as he takes office.

Congress leaders were quick to amplify Reddy’s message, casting the outcome as a respectable showing rather than a rout. Party president Mallikarjun Kharge congratulated Radhakrishnan on his win but praised Reddy for his “spirited and principled fight” as the united Opposition’s joint candidate. “This was more than an election; it was a battle of ideology, reaffirming that governments with authoritarian tendencies must be checked to protect our Constitution and democracy,” Kharge wrote on X.

Both Reddy and his backers in the Congress framed the result as proof of unity rather than weakness. Reddy had thanked Opposition parties for their support, insisting that “our democracy is strengthened not by victory alone, but by the spirit of dialogue, dissent, and participation.”

Kharge in turn urged that the new vice-president “uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions, ensuring equal space and dignity for the Opposition, and not succumb to pressures of the ruling dispensation.”

There was also a sharper undertone. Kharge reminded that the election itself was triggered only because “Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned suddenly on the very day he chaired the opening of the Monsoon session — an exit still unexplained and unceremonious.” According to him, the vice-presidency, the second-highest Constitutional office, must be “revitalised to reflect independence, fairness, and strength in safeguarding democratic values.”

Congress MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh pointed to the numbers to argue that the Opposition had grown stronger. “Its performance has undeniably been most respectable. Its joint candidate Justice (retd) B. Sudershan Reddy secured 40% of the vote. In 2022, the Opposition had received 26%,” he posted on X.

For him too, the verdict was not the final word: “The BJP’s arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat. The ideological battle continues undiminished.”

With PTI inputs