SRINAGAR: CP Radhakrishnan, the sitting Governor of Maharashtra and senior BJP leader, has been elected as the new Vice President of India on Tuesday, securing victory in a contest held to fill the post vacated by Jagdeep Dhankhar’s recent resignation for health reasons. Radhakrishnan, the candidate of the ruling NDA, received 452 first-preference votes, defeating the opposition INDIA bloc’s nominee, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, who polled 300 votes.
Voting took place in Parliament throughout the day, with MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha casting their ballots via secret ballot in accordance with the Constitution’s guidelines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first to vote, and turnout among eligible Members of Parliament was reported to be over 96 percent.
Radhakrishnan, 68, began his career as an RSS swayamsevak and rose through the BJP ranks, representing Coimbatore in the Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999. He later served as Tamil Nadu BJP president and chairman of several parliamentary panels before becoming Governor of Jharkhand and then Maharashtra. A resident of Tamil Nadu, he is the third leader from the state to hold the vice presidency.
The Vice President of India is the second-highest constitutional office in the country and acts as ex-officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The office fell vacant after Dhankhar’s abrupt resignation on July 21 due to health concerns. The election witnessed a straight contest between the NDA and the opposition bloc.
Radhakrishnan is expected to formally take office later this week, with congratulations pouring in from across the political spectrum and Prime Minister Modi expressing confidence in his experience and statesmanship. -(KL)
