Vice President Election: NDA Pick CP Radhakrishnan Wins With 452 Votes
Radhakrishnan succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned as vice president on July 21, taking everyone by surprise.
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was elected on Tuesday as the 15th vice president of India, the third leader from Tamil Nadu to occupy the coveted post, with a total of 452 votes in his favour.
The voting in the elections began at 10 am and concluded at 5 pm. The electoral college comprising members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had a strength of 781.
"NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan got 452 first-preference votes. He has been elected as the vice president of India... Opposition's vice presidential candidate Justice Sudershan Reddy secured 300 first-preference votes," PC Mody, secretary-general at Rajya Sabha, said.
Seen as a soft-spoken and non-confrontational leader, the 67-year-old Radhakrishnan succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned as vice president on July 21, taking everyone by surprise.
Who's CP Radhakrishnan?
Radhakrishnan is a Bharatiya Janata Party veteran from Tamil Nadu. He was sworn in as the governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024.
Prior to his appointment, he served as the governor of Jharkhand for nearly one-and-a-half years. As the governor of Jharkhand, Radhakrishnan was appointed by the President to discharge the functions of the governor of Telangana and as the Lt. governor of Puducherry.
Born on May 4, 1957, in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Starting as an RSS swayamsevak, he became a state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1974.
An avid sportsperson, the 67-year-old was a college champion in table tennis and a long-distance runner. He enjoys cricket and volleyball.
In 1998, Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Coimbatore in 1998. He was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 1999.
In 2004, Radhakrishnan addressed the UN General Assembly as part of the Parliamentary Delegation.
Between 2004 and 2007, Radhakrishnan served as the state president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
From 2016-2020, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the chairperson of the Coir Board, Kochi. The coir exports from India grew tremendously and reached an all-time high of Rs 2,532 crore.
From 2020 to 2022, he was the All India in Charge of BJP for Kerala.
On February 18, 2023, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the governor of Jharkhand.
