Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday, three days after securing a landslide win in the election. He succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down on July 21, citing health reasons.
Dressed in a red kurta and traditional Tamil &lsquo;mundu,&rsquo; Radhakrishnan took the oath of office in English at 10:11 am, administered by President Droupadi Murmu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and senior leaders were present to congratulate him.
Following the ceremony, Radhakrishnan paid floral tributes at the Prerna Sthal and planted a tree before assuming charge as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. He will preside over the Upper House during the upcoming winter session.
The event also marked the first public appearance of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar since his resignation. Former Vice Presidents M Venkaiah Naidu and Hamid Ansari were also present, though no Opposition leaders were seen.
Radhakrishnan, a 68-year-old BJP leader from Tamil Nadu with roots in the RSS, defeated Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy by 452&ndash;300 votes. Known as a soft-spoken, non-controversial figure, he is the only BJP leader from Tamil Nadu to have been elected twice to the Lok Sabha.
Before his elevation, Radhakrishnan served as Governor of Maharashtra. Born in Tiruppur, he belongs to the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar OBC community and holds a degree in business administration. His long political journey began as an RSS swayamsevak, later joining the Janasangh in 1974 and rising to lead the BJP state unit in 2004.

CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as India’s 15th Vice President, succeeding Jagdeep Dhankhar

CP Radhakrishnan Sworn In as Vice President

CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as India’s 15th Vice President, succeeding Jagdeep Dhankhar

September 12, 2025 | 13:50 IST