C.P. Radhakrishnan Sworn in as 15th Vice President of India

On September 12 2025, Former Governor of Maharashtra Chandrapuram Ponnusamy (C.P.) Radhakrishnan has officially sworn-in as the 15th Vice President (VP) of India, 2nd highest constitutional office in India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament).

• President of India Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to him at a brief ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, Delhi.
• C.P.Radhakrishnan succeeded Jagdeep Dhankar, who resigned from the post of VP on July 21, 2025 due to health issues.

Key Attendees:

PM and Union Ministers: The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Former VPs: The ceremony was also attended by former VPs of India: Jagdeep Dhankar (14th); M. Venkaiah Naidu (13th), and Mohammad Hamid Ansari(12th).

CMs and Governors: Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister (CM) of Odisha; N. Chandrababu Naidu, CM of Andhra Pradesh(AP); Mohan Yadav, CM of Madhya Pradesh (MP); Thawarchand Gehlot, Governor of Karnataka; Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh; and Santosh Gangwar, Governor of Jharkhand, were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Vice-Presidential Election:

Present Composition: The current composition of the Electoral College is 781 due to 6 vacant seats in Rajya Sabha and 1 in Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament).

Voter Turnout: As per Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody, total 767 out of 781 Member of Parliaments (MPs) casted their votes, registering a total voter turnout of 98.2%.

• While, remaining 13 MPs were abstained from voting process, including Bju Janta Dal (BJD) (07), Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) (04) and Shriomani Akali Dal (SAD) (01) and Independent MP (01).
• Out of these total votes casted, 752 votes were valid and 15 were invalid.

Election Result: On September 09 2025, C.P. Radhakrishnan, candidate of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was elected as the 15th VP of India, securing 452 votes against opposition alliance, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) candidate, former Supreme Court Judge Buchireddy (B.) Sudershan Reddy, who got 300 votes.

About C.P. Radhakrishnan:

3rd Person from TN to become VP: He is the third individual from Tamil Nadu(TN) to become the Vice President of India, following Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first VP of independent India, and R. Venkatraman(7th).

Political Activism: He started his political career by joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and later, served as the State Executive Committee Member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.

State Leadership: In 1996, he was appointed as the secretary of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)’s TN unit. Later, he served as TN BJP President between 2004 and 2007.

Parliamentary Career: He was elected as the MP of Lok Sabha from Coimbatore (TN) twice (1998 and 1999).

• During his tenure as MP of Lok Sabha, he served as member of various parliamentary committees such as: Parliamentary Committee on Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs); Consultative Committee on Finance(CCF); among others.

Governorship: He served as Governor of Jharkhand from February 18, 2023, to July 30, 2024; Governor of Telangana from March 20, 2024, to July 30, 2024; Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from March 22, 2024, to August 6, 2024; and Governor of Maharashtra from July 31, 2024, to September 11, 2025.

International Engagements: He addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2004 as part of the Indian Parliamentary delegation and was a member of India’s first Parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.

Constitutional Provisions Related VP of India:

Establishment: Article 63 formally creates the constitutional office of the Vice President of India.

Role: Article 64 designates the Vice President as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and prohibits holding any other office of profit while in this position.

Acting President(Article 65): The Vice President discharges the President’s functions during vacancies or temporary absence due to illness, resignation, or other causes.

Electoral College: As per Article 66 of the Constitution, the VP of India is elected by an Electoral College which comprises both elected and nominated members of the Parliament, through a system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

• Composition: Electoral College comprises 788 Member of Parliaments (MPs) including 543 MPs from Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) and 245 MPs from Rajya Sabha. It also includes 12 nominated member from Rajya Sabha.
• There is no bar on re-election; a Vice President can contest for a second term or multiple terms.

Qualifications: A candidate must be a citizen of India;

• He/she should have completed 35 years of age;
• A registered voter anywhere in India and should be qualified election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
• He/She should not hold any office of profit under the Union Government or any state government or any local authority or any other public authority.

Term: As per Article 67 of the Indian Constitution, the VP holds office for a term of 5 years from the date on which he enters upon his office.

Casual Vacancies(Article 68): Elections to fill Vice Presidential vacancies must be held promptly. The elected person serves the remainder of the original term.

Oath or Affirmation: As per Article 69, it is mandatory for elected VP to make and subscribe to an oath and affirmation, before entering upon his office.

• The oath of office to the VP is administered by President of India.