Venkaiah Naidu sweeps V-P polls with 516 votes, Gopal Krishna Gandhi bites the dust

The ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday won the election for the post of Vice-President of India by a huge margin of 272 votes, against united Opposition's candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

An analysis of the result showed that there was moderate cross-voting in favour of Naidu. The Opposition's tally swelled by 19 votes, as compared to the Presidential poll in Parliament, due to the support of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which had officially agreed to favour Gandhi. A section of the JD(U), however, is understood to have supported Gandhi.

The NDA, which had secured the support of 522 MPs from Parliament during the Presidential polls, was expecting to get 482 votes. Naidu, however, got 516 votes against Gandhi's 244.

In all, 771 of 785 MPs cast their vote, of which 11 votes were declared invalid. As many as 14 lawmakers abstained from voting.

Naidu will take the oath of office on August 11 at the end of the term of outgoing President Hamid Ansari, who held two consecutive terms.

By virtue of being the Vice-President, Naidu will also be the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become the largest party and is keen to push through several legislations.

After losing the election, Gandhi was the first one to congratulate Naidu.

"I wish him all the best in his new office. I would like to thank all honourable MPs of the Parliament. I believe that the number of votes was beyond all expectations. They all came together to vote for what they thought was for the national good — the right to hold a different opinion and the duty to serve the cause of pluralism and secularism in India," Gandhi said.

Congratulating Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "I am confident that he will serve the nation as a diligent and dedicated Vice-President, committed to the goal of nation building."

Conveying gratitude to every MP cutting across the party lines, Naidu said: "Coming from a family of an ordinary farmer, it's an honour for me to become the Vice-President. This speaks about the beauty and the strength of our democracy. I promise to uphold the Constitution and the high standards set by my esteemed predecessors."

"I think we will miss Naidu in one place, but you will see more of him in action in another place," Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said. Naidu was in charge of key ministries of Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting before being declared the the Vice-Presidential candidate.

Stating that he was sure of Naidu's victory, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said: "All NDA partners and PM Modi have described Venkaiah as a unique personality. He will do justice to the post."

Commenting on the development, BJP National General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav, who was also in-charge of the polls for the party and Naidu's election agent, said: "It is because of PM Modi's meticulous planning and determination that we were able to get all our MPs (except two, who are in hospital) to vote."