CP Radhakrishnan has been elected as India's Vice President after edging out INDIA bloc's candidate comfortably in a cross-Parliament vote on September 9.
Radhakrishnan won 452 valid votes in the 781-member electoral college - made up of members of the upper and lower houses of parliament - to defeat opposition-backed Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge.
Radhakrishnan was elected nearly a month after his predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar-- also a pick of BJP-led NDA, announced his surprise resignation.
In a letter to Radhakrishnan, Dhankhar said, "Your elevation to this august office reflects the trust and confidence by the representatives of our nation."
He said given Radhakrishnan's vast experience in public life, under his stewardship, the office would "certainly attain greater veneration and glory".
Former vice president M Venkaiah Naidu also congratulated Radhakrishnan and said, "Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan is the epitome of discipline, dedication and integrity." "His rise through the ranks of the party organisation and his inspiring journey bear testimony to his long years of hard work in public life in the service of the nation," he said in a post on X.
The life of CP Radhakrishnan
Described as a 'Pachai Tamizhan' (true-blue Tamil) by well-wishers, Radhakrishnan was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra when he was named as the vice presidential nominee of the BJP-led NDA.
A two-term member of the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Radhakrishnan came close to becoming a Union minister, but had to lose out to fellow Tamilan Pon Radhakrishnan in 1998 after some confusion over his name by the then floor managers of the BJP.
Radhakrishnan joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a teenager and rose through the ranks in the organisation and later in the BJP, gaining acceptability in the party and the state.
A member of the socially dominant and economically prosperous Kongu Vellalar Gounder community, he became the secretary of the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit in 1996. He served as the party's state unit president between 2003 and 2006.
An avid sportsperson, Radhakrishnan was a college champion in table tennis and a long-distance runner. He also enjoys cricket and volleyball.
Radhakrishnan is considered an untainted leader with rich political and administrative experience for the vice president's office and this would also prove useful as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
