At the time of his nomination as the vice-presidential candidate by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Radhakrishnan was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra
Radhakrishnan succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar. File Pic/PTI
NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnanon Tuesday won the Vice President election after winning 452 votes, officials said, reported the PTI.
Opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy got 300 votes, the returning officer said.
"Total 767 votes were cast in Vice Presidential polls, 752 were valid and 15 were invalid," Returning Officer PC Mody said.
Rooted in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan has been elected as the 15th Vice President of India, becoming the third leader from Tamil Nadu to assume this prestigious position.
The 67-year-old Radhakrishnan succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who unexpectedly resigned from the vice presidency on 21 July.
At the time of his nomination as the vice-presidential candidate by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Radhakrishnan was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra.
A two-term Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Radhakrishnan narrowly missed an opportunity to become a Union Minister in 1998. Due to confusion over his name, the position was instead given to fellow Tamil politician Pon Radhakrishnan, following a mix-up by BJP floor managers at the time.
Radhakrishnan’s political journey began in his teenage years when he joined the RSS, steadily rising through its ranks and later gaining recognition within the BJP both at the state and national levels.
Belonging to the socially dominant and economically prosperous Kongu Vellalar Gounder community, he was appointed as the Secretary of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit in 1996 and served as the state president of the party from 2003 to 2006.
With his extensive political and administrative experience, Radhakrishnan is expected to bring depth and balance to his new role as Vice President of India, who also serves as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
According to an official profile shared by the NDA, he is presented as a leader who is eminent, knowledgeable, and free from any legal controversies.
Radhakrishnan’s political roots lie in the RSS and the Jan Sangh, and he first entered public life through student politics. Since then, he has regarded politics as a platform to serve the people.
With a career that spans electoral, organisational, and constitutional responsibilities, Radhakrishnan is poised to make a lasting mark as Vice President of India.
He was sworn in as the Governor of Maharashtra on 31 July 2024, prior to which he served as the Governor of Jharkhand for nearly one and a half years.
(with PTI inputs)
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