CP Radhakrishnan was sworn in as India’s 15th Vice President on September 12, 2025, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to him at 10.10 am.
Radhakrishnan, 67, a longtime BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and a product of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), won the vice-presidential election by garnering 452 votes. His opponent, the Opposition INDIA bloc nominee B Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, received 300 votes.
Radhakrishnan’s victory was not surprising based on the enhanced numbers of the BJP-led NDA, who had the backing of 427 MPs on paper, as well as the YSR Congress Party’s eleven MPs and a few smaller parties, well above the halfway mark of 377 MPs. There were also hints of cross-voting in the vice-presidential election in favour of Radhakrishnan.
Significantly, the vice-presidential election resulted from the sudden resignation of vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21 on health grounds.
Radhakrishnan resigned as governor of Maharashtra following his election on Thursday. The President has now given Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat the additional charge of Maharashtra, until a new appointment is allocated.
Radhakrishnan, a two-time MP (Member of Parliament) from Coimbatore apart from being the erstwhile BJP Tamil Nadu chief, has enjoyed a long career within politics as he began his political career with the Jana Sangh and has remained a leading member of the BJP ever since.
