CP Radhakrishnan to be sworn in as India's 15th Vice President today
CP Radhakrishnan, 68, ex-Maharashtra Governor, was elected India’s 15th Vice President, defeating Opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy on Tuesday.
Vice President-elect CP Radhakrishnan will be administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, September 12.
The swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for 10am, PTI reported, citing officials.
Radhakrishnan, 68, a former governor of Maharashtra, was elected as India’s 15th Vice President on Tuesday, defeating the joint Opposition nominee and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes.
While the NDA had the assured support of 427 MPs, 11 members of the YSRCP also backed Radhakrishnan, helping him secure 14 votes more than expected, fuelling speculation of cross-voting from the Opposition, news agency ANI reported.
Thirteen MPs abstained from voting, including seven from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), four from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), one from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and one Independent, according to ANI.
The election was necessitated following the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.
Following his election as Vice President, Radhakrishnan stepped down as Maharashtra Governor on Thursday. President Murmu has assigned Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat additional charge of Maharashtra until further orders, an official statement said.
Ahead of the swearing-in, several political leaders arrived in New Delhi to attend the event. Among them were Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav.
Who is CP Radhakrishnan?
Born on May 4, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, CP Radhakrishnan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He began his political journey as an RSS Swayamsevak and became a state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.
In 1996, he was appointed secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, and in 1998, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, being re-elected in 1999.
