NEW DELHI – Federal lawmakers on Tuesday elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader C.P. Radhakrishnan as India’s new vice president, filling the vacancy created after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s abrupt resignation in July due to health issues.
Radhakrishnan, 68, who was serving as the governor of Maharashtra, was the ruling coalition’s official nominee and secured a comfortable victory by polling 452 of the 752 valid preferential votes cast, according to parliamentary secretary-general P.C. Mody. He defeated opposition candidate B. Sudershan Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, who received 300 votes.
The election, held through a constitutionally mandated secret ballot, was seen as a straightforward win for the BJP-led alliance given its numerical dominance in parliament.
As the newly elected vice president, Radhakrishnan takes on the role of chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of parliament, and will also discharge presidential duties in case of a temporary vacancy. The position, though ceremonial, remains the second-highest constitutional office in the country after the presidency.