The race for the Vice-Presidency has been marred by controversy after a candidate filed nomination papers containing forged signatures of several Members of Parliament. The incident came to light during the scrutiny of nomination papers, leading to immediate uproar and raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process.
Following former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation on July 21, 2025, due to health reasons, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Vice-Presidential election. The last date for filing nominations was August 21, 2025, and the election is slated for September 9, 2025.
A total of 68 nomination papers were filed by 46 candidates. However, a large number of these were rejected. Initially, 28 papers from 19 candidates were rejected under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act. Subsequently, upon closer examination, 40 more papers submitted by 27 candidates were rejected. Ultimately, only the nomination papers of two candidates were deemed valid: C.P. Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, and B. Sudarshan Reddy, the joint opposition candidate. Both candidates had submitted four sets of nomination papers, all of which were found to be in order.
The controversy erupted when it was discovered that the nomination papers of one of the candidates, Jomon Joseph from Kerala, contained fabricated signatures of MPs. It was found that Joseph's application had 22 proposers and 22 seconders, including names and signatures of members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. However, many of the MPs whose signatures appeared on the papers denied having signed them. Some MPs stated that their names were included without their knowledge or consent. Shockingly, the forged signatures even included that of an MP who is currently incarcerated.
The Election Commission has taken a serious view of the matter and initiated investigations into the forgery. Legal experts suggest that the candidate responsible for submitting forged documents could face prosecution under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The incident has triggered calls for stricter verification processes for nomination papers to prevent such incidents in the future.
The revelation of forged signatures has cast a shadow over the Vice-Presidential election, raising concerns about the credibility of the electoral process. With the nomination deadline passed, and the scrutiny process complete, the election is now set to be a direct contest between C.P. Radhakrishnan and B. Sudarshan Reddy. The electoral college for the Vice-Presidential election comprises members of both houses of Parliament. The effective strength of the electoral college is 781, with the majority mark being 391.
C.P. Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate, is a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the current Governor of Maharashtra. B. Sudarshan Reddy, the opposition's candidate, is a former Supreme Court judge.
