C.P. Radhakrishnan Sworn in as 15th Vice President of India, Takes Helm of Rajya Sabha

C.P. Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the fifteenth Vice President of India on Thursday at a formal ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath at Ganatantra Mandap in the presence of senior officials and dignitaries.

C.P. Radhakrishnan Sworn in as Vice President of India. Via PIB India

With this, Radhakrishnan also assumes charge as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. A veteran political organiser and two-time Member of Parliament from Coimbatore, his elevation comes after a long public life marked by both legislative leadership and administrative experience. 

He most recently served as the Governor of Maharashtra and earlier held gubernatorial charge in Jharkhand, Telangana, and Puducherry.

Soon after taking oath, the new Vice President visited Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, and Chaudhary Charan Singh at their respective memorials in the capital.

Born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, in 1957, Radhakrishnan entered politics through the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and later became one of the early organisational faces of the Bharatiya Janata Party in southern India. 

He served as BJP’s Tamil Nadu state president and was known for high-impact mass mobilisation campaigns, including a 93-day, 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’ calling for river-linking, civil code reforms, and anti-terror legislation.

In Parliament, he led the Standing Committee on Textiles and served on committees relating to finance, PSUs, and the stock market scam probe. He represented India at the United Nations in 2004 and was part of the first Indian parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.

As Chairman of the Coir Board, he oversaw record export growth. As Governor, he made early efforts to connect with citizens, especially tribal communities. 

His tenure in Maharashtra was marked by sustained outreach to educational institutions and state universities. He closely tracked tribal access to higher education and was known for pushing the ‘School Connect’ programme across university networks.

His appointment comes at a time when the Rajya Sabha faces tight legislative arithmetic and politically charged sessions. 

With over four decades in public life, his experience in both governance and ground politics is expected to influence how he steers proceedings in the Upper House.