Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, recently elected as the 15th Vice President of India, will take oath of office on Friday at Rashtrapati Bhawan. President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath.
According to NDA sources, the ceremony was scheduled for the morning of September 12 as the time was deemed “auspicious by the pandit ji.”
Several political leaders have already arrived in Delhi to attend the event, including Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, Jharkhand Governor Santosh Gangwar, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, secured 452 votes in Tuesday’s election, defeating Opposition candidate and former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, who received 300 votes. Out of 781 MPs, 767 cast their votes, registering a turnout of 98.2 percent. Of these, 752 ballots were valid, lowering the required majority to 377.
Interestingly, Radhakrishnan polled 14 votes more than the NDA’s expected strength, sparking speculation of cross-voting from the Opposition. The NDA had the support of 427 MPs on paper, while 11 YSRCP lawmakers also voted in his favour. Meanwhile, 13 MPs abstained, including members from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and one Independent.
Following the result, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Radhakrishnan, praising his lifelong dedication to social service and empowerment of the marginalised. “I am confident that he will be an outstanding Vice President, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse,” Modi wrote on X.
