CP Radhakrishnan Sworn In as India's 15th Vice President
C. P. Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India on Friday in a formal ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to the 67-year-old leader, marking his ascension to the country's second-highest constitutional post. His election follows the sudden resignation of his predecessor, Jagdeep Dhankhar, in July.
Radhakrishnan's victory in the vice-presidential election was a comfortable one, reflecting the numerical superiority of the ruling BJP-led NDA coalition in Parliament. He secured 452 votes, comfortably surpassing the halfway mark of 377 and decisively defeating the opposition's INDIA bloc nominee, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, who received 300 votes. The NDA's own strength of 427 MPs was bolstered by support from the YSR Congress Party and several smaller parties, with reports also indicating a degree of cross-voting in his favor.
A two-time Member of Parliament from Coimbatore and a former chief of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit, Radhakrishnan has had a long and distinguished political career with deep roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its predecessor, the Jana Sangh. Prior to his election as Vice President, he served as the Governor of Maharashtra, a position from which he formally resigned on Thursday. Following his resignation, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat has been given the additional charge of Maharashtra until a new appointment is made. As Vice President, Radhakrishnan will now also serve as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
