By Arun Nair
Copyright timesnownews
New Delhi: Vice President-elect CP Radhakrishnan will be administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu at a formal ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. He will take oath as the 15th Vice President of India. Radhakrishanan, 67, won the vice presidential election on Tuesday, defeating the joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes. The election was necessitated due to the sudden resignation of the then incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on July 21. Previously, Radhakrishnan served as the Governor of Maharashtra. The 67-year-old described his 13-month tenure in the state as the happiest period in his public life and he would carry with him fond memories as he is set to move to Delhi as the next Vice President of India, according to a PTI report. “When I took charge, the present Deputy Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) was the Chief Minister and the present Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) was the Deputy Chief Minister. Later, their roles were reversed. Yet, their cordial relationship and spirit of teamwork spoke volumes about the political culture of this great state,” he said on his unique experience of working with two chief ministers during his tenure. ‘Uncompromising Nationalist’ During an event last month, Radhakrishnan called himself an “uncompromising nationalist”. He said his mother had narrated inspiring tales of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to him. He also hailed Dr BR Ambedkar for giving India its Constitution and fighting social evils with courage. “Chhatrapati Shivaji fought foreign aggressors, while Ambedkar fought oppression. Because of such visionaries, India has remained a democracy while our neighbour Pakistan struggled to sustain it,” he said. Radhakrishnan earlier served as the governor of Jharkhand and held an additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry, said Maharashtra would always remain special for him. “I once again express my gratitude for the warmth, cooperation and friendship I received during my tenure here. I carry with me fond memories of Maharashtra and its people,” he said.
