Chandrapuram Ponnusami Radhakrishnan was sworn in on Friday as the 15th Vice President of India. The oath of office was administered by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan around 10 a.m.
Radhakrishnan, 67, secured victory in the vice-presidential election held on September 9, defeating Opposition nominee B. Sudershan Reddy by 152 votes. Of the 752 valid votes cast, Radhakrishnan, a veteran RSS and BJP leader, garnered 452, while Reddy received 300. Fifteen votes were declared invalid.
The election was necessitated after former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21 citing health concerns. Dhankhar, making his first public appearance since stepping down, attended Friday’s ceremony.
The event saw the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president J.P. Nadda, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Former vice presidents Hamid Ansari and Venkaiah Naidu were also in attendance. However, Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge skipped the function.
Radhakrishnan’s victory, aided by significant cross-voting, was a setback to the Opposition, which had anticipated securing over 320 votes.
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