CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as India’s 15th vice president during a somber ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Ganatantra Mandap. Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, and a number of other luminaries were present as President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office. In his capacity as vice president, Radhakrishnan will also serve as chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The INDIA bloc’s candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, received 300 votes in Tuesday’s vice presidential election, whereas Radhakrishnan, the nominee of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), received 452 votes. 377 was the majority mark. With the NDA’s strength at 427, his total suggested cross-voting in his favor. Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s departure in July made the election necessary. A seasoned politician, Radhakrishnan was previously the governor of Jharkhand and most recently the governor of Maharashtra.
In addition, he served as the head of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit and a member of parliament, both of which helped to grow the party’s support in the state. Members of both Houses of Parliament form the Electoral College, which elects the vice president in accordance with Article 66 of the Constitution. There were six vacancies overall, with 542 Lok Sabha MPs and 240 Rajya Sabha MPs running in this election.
