Chandrapuram Ponnusami Radhakrishnan has formally taken oath as the 15th Vice President of India. The ceremony was held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, with President Droupadi Murmu administering the oath.
He won the vice-presidential election on September 9, defeating Opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes, receiving 452 of the 752 valid votes cast. Fifteen votes were declared invalid.
Key Figures & Attendance
Prominent political figures were present at the ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP President J. P. Nadda, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended. Former Vice-Presidents Hamid Ansari and Venkaiah Naidu were also present. Jagdeep Dhankhar — the previous Vice President, who resigned citing health issues — made his first public appearance since stepping down.
Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, however, did not attend the oath-taking ceremony.
Background & Political Journey
Radhakrishnan, 67, is known for his long association with the RSS and BJP. He first made his mark in the late 1990s by winning the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat in both 1998 and 1999 — a rare feat in Tamil Nadu, a state considered difficult terrain for the BJP.
In recent years, he served as Governor of Jharkhand from February 2023 and later as Governor of Maharashtra from February 2024. He is widely regarded as someone deeply rooted in the RSS ideology while also having a reputation for pragmatic governance.
Significance & Implications
Radhakrishnan’s election marks an important moment for the BJP and its political positioning. His victory by a solid margin suggests strong party discipline and possible cross-voting that weakened the Opposition’s strategy.
Given his roots in Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP has historically struggled, his rise to the vice presidency could signal the party’s continued efforts to consolidate gains in the South. Known for his clean image and relatively controversy-free record, Radhakrishnan’s term as Vice President is likely to reinforce the BJP’s narrative of governance, credibility, and integrity.
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