The huge victory margin of BJP nominee M Venkaiah Naidu in the Vice President elections is the highest in last three decades. Mr Naidu polled 516 votes as against 244 by his rival Gopalkrishna Gandhi making it a convincing margin of 272.
While Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1987 and K R Narayanan in 1992 were virtually elected unopposed, in 1997, the Late Krishna Kant got a majority of 168 only. Krishna Kant had defeated Akali Dal leader Surjeet Singh Barnala in the vice-presidential election.
In 2002, another BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat won with a majority of 149 votes while Mr Naidu's predecessor Hamid Ansari in 2007 had humbled Najma Heptullah when he had secured 455 votes, and won the election by a margin of 233 votes.
The BJP completed its dream run, that began in 2014, for having all the three top posts of the country, with NDA candidate M Venkaiah Naidu defeating joint Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi to become 15th Vice President of India.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Ram Nath Kovind became the first BJP-RSS figure to become President last month, and with today’s victory of Mr Naidu, the second highest Constitutional post of the country too will be occupied by a BJP-Sangh leader for the first time.
During Atal Behari Vajpayee's tenure, another BJP leader Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was elected Vice President in 2002. Shekhawat had defeated the opposition candidate, Sushil Kumar Shinde by a margin of 149 votes out of the 750 votes polled.
Huge cross-voting today marked the election of BJP-led NDA nominee
M Venkaiah Naidu as the 15th Vice President of India.
"Out of 771 votes polled, Mr Naidu got 516 votes as against 244 polled by opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi," Returning Officer for Vice President polls Shumsher K Sheriff, who is the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, told reporters.
As per their numbers in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the NDA nominee was expected to secure about 480 votes but the ultimately figures suggest there was cross-voting by as many as 36 MPs from the 18-party opposition camp.
Former West Bengal Governor Mr Gandhi, who gave a spirited fight, was present at the counting centre till the last moment and walked away from the venue minutes before the announcement of the results. His downcast look said it all as he smiled and folded hands skirting direct replies to media queries.
Mr Gandhi, however, said he was more than satisfied with the number of votes he garnered.
In contrast, BJP leader and NDA representative at the counting centre Bhupender Yadav was in an upbeat mood.
In contrast, BJP leader and NDA representative at the counting centre Bhupender Yadav was in an upbeat mood.
The major highlight of the voting today was the absent of 12 MPs from the opposition camp.
These included four from Mamata Benerjee-led Trinamool Congress.
Others included: Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK, Tapas Pal, Pratima Mondal and Kunal Ghosh (all AITC), Ranee Narah and Mausam Noor (both Congress), UdayanRaje Bhosale (NCP), P K Kunhalakutty and Abdul Wahab (both IUML), Anu Aga and Naba Kumar Sarania (Independent) and Sanwar lal Jat (BJP).
Significantly enough, Ms Banerjee's nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee also skipped the voting process. 
Ironically, it was Trinamool leader Derek O' Brien who had proposed the name of Mr Gandhi as the candidate for the Vice President polls in the meeting of the opposition parties where it was decided that the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi should be named as the opposition nominee.Ms Mamata Banerjee, however, lauded the manner he took the contest.
"In the tradition of our democracy, Gopalkrishna Gandhi Ji fought this election with dignity for certain ideals," she said in a tweet.
Among the two IUML MPs from Kerala - P K Kunhalakutty and Abdul Wahab - who were absent from the voting process, according to sources, could not make it to the polling venue on time due to delayed arrival of their flight.
Among the 14 absentees, were Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Ajmer MP Sanwar Lal Jat.
The BJP will have a virtual dream run in the corridors of power as for the first times - all the three key posts - President, Vice President and Prime Ministership now having persons from the saffron outfit and RSS background.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Democratic Alliance(NDA) nominee M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Ministers, celebrities and nominated members Sachin Tendulkar, Rekha and Mary Kom were among the early voters at the ongoing voting for election to the office of the Vice-President.
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