Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was today sworn in as the 15th Vice-President of India.
President Droupadi Murmu administered oath to the 67-year-old Radhakrishnan at a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning.
Dressed in a red kurta, Radhakrishnan took oath in English in the name of God.
Radhakrishanan won the vice-presidential election on Tuesday, defeating the joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes.
The election was necessitated due to the sudden resignation of the then incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on July 21 over health issues.
Dhankhar also attended the ceremony, his first public appearance since his resignation as V-P.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president J.P. Nadda were among those who attended the programme.
Former Vice-Presidents Hamid Ansari and Venkaiah Naidu were also present at the ceremony.
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra since July 2024 before being named as the NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee. He earlier served as Governor of Jharkhand and held additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry.
A two-time MP from Coimbatore, he began his political journey with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Jana Sangh before joining the BJP. He went on to serve as BJP’s Tamil Nadu state president and later held several parliamentary positions, including Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Between 2016 and 2020, he chaired the Coir Board under the Ministry of MSME, during which coir exports reached a record high. From 2020 to 2022, he was the BJP’s in-charge for Kerala.
Radhakrishnan holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. A sports enthusiast, he excelled in table tennis and took keen interest in cricket and volleyball. He has also represented India on several international delegations across Asia, Europe and North America.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Radhakrishnan on his election. In a post on X, he said, “Congratulations to Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election. His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse.”
