The BJP's "arithmetical" victory in the vice presidential election is both a "moral and political defeat" for the ruling party, the Congress said on Tuesday and asserted that the Opposition stood united in the election with "most respectable" performance.

NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan was elected the next vice president of India as he bagged 452 votes against the opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy's 300, winning the contest with a bigger than expected margin.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge extended best wishes to Radhakrishnan on securing victory in the election, while also expressing sincere gratitude to Reddy for being the "united Opposition’s joint candidate" and for his spirited and principled fight.

"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 said on X.

"We hope the new Vice President-elect will uphold the highest ethos of Parliamentary traditions, ensuring equal space and dignity for the Opposition, and not succumb to pressures of the ruling dispensation," the Congress chief said.

The vice president, the second highest constitutional office in the order of precedence, must be revitalised to reflect independence, fairness, and strength in safeguarding democratic values, Kharge said.

"We must also remember why this election was necessitated. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned suddenly on the very day he chaired the opening of the Monsoon Session—an exit still unexplained and unceremonious," he said.

"As we move forward, transparency, accountability, and respect for Constitutional positions must guide our institutions in letter and spirit," Kharge said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asserted that the Opposition stood united for the vice presidential election.

"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% of the vote in the vice presidential elections," Ramesh said.

"The BJP's arithmetical victory is really both a moral and political defeat. The ideological battle continues undiminished," Ramesh said.

Congress' whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore said, "Justice Sudershan Reddy garu secured 300 votes (40%) in the VP elections. We in the INDIA alliance will continue to stand united for." "Non-NDA parties like Jagan, BJD & BRS got fully exposed — choosing expediency over ideology," he said.

Congress leader Rajesh Thakur said cross-voting in favour of the NDA shows that the BJP is not only involved in "vote theft" but also in "vote dacoity".

Meanwhile, Reddy said he humbly accepts the defeat in the vice presidential polls and asserted that democracy is strengthened not by victory alone, but by the spirit of dialogue, dissent, and participation.

In a statement issued soon after NDA's Radhakrishnan was declared elected to the post of vice president, Reddy said that though the result was not in his favour, the larger cause "we have collectively sought to advance, remains undiminished".

"The ideological battle continues with ever greater vigour," he said.

Announcing the result of the vice presidential election this evening, Rajya Sabha Secretary General and Returning Officer P C Mody said 767 MPs cast their votes out of the total valid electors of 781 in a turnout of 98.2 per cent.

He said 752 ballots were valid and 15 invalid, bringing down the required majority of first preference votes to 377.

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