CP Radhakrishnan, the vice-presidential candidate of the NDA, won the elections on Tuesday to become the new Vice President of India.
Radhakrishnan was locked in a direct VP polls battle against Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy.
CP Radhakrishnan won by 152 votes on Tuesday, crossing the 377 vote requirement margin to become the Vice President of India.
Radharishnan received 452 first preference votes, Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Mody said on Tuesday.
“NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan got 452 first preference votes. He has been elected as the Vice President of India… Opposition’s vice-presidential candidate Justice Sudershan Reddy secured 300 first preference votes,” Mody told the media.
Interestingly, 315 opposition MPs turned up for the voting.
Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated Radhakrishnan on his VP election win.
“Congratulations to Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan Ji on being elected as the Vice President of India. I firmly believe that your sagacity as a leader who has risen from the grassroots of the society and profound knowledge about administration will help us in bringing out the best in our parliamentary democracy to serve the marginalised. I extend my warmest wishes to you for your journey as the custodian of the sanctity of the Upper House,” he wrote.
The vice-presidential elections began at 10 AM and concluded at 5 PM. The counting started at 6 pm.
Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.
A total of 13 MPs abstained from voting in the Vice Presidential elections. The list includes seven MPs from Biju Janata Dal, four from Bharath Rashtra Samithi, one MP from Shiromani Akali Dal and one independent MP.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast the first vote in the VP elections, followed by other senior leaders, including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju.
Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India’s new Vice President?
CP Radhakrishnan was elected India’s Vice President on September 9, nearly two months after former VP Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post on July 21 citing health reasons.
Described as soft-spoken and non-confrontational, CP Radhakrishnan was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra when he was nominated by the NDA to run at the VP polls.
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.
CP 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.
“Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji has rich experience as MP and Governor of various states. His Parliamentary interventions were always incisive. During his gubernatorial tenures, he focused on addressing challenges faced by common citizens. These experiences ensured that he has vast knowledge of legislative and Constitutional matters. I am confident he will be an inspiring Vice President,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said after the NDA chose Radhakrishnan as the vice presidential candidate.
Article source: livemint.com
