Former Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar made his first public appearance since resigning from office, attending the oath-taking ceremony of C P Radhakrishnan as the 15th Vice-President of India, on Friday, 12 September.
The ceremony, held at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 10 am, saw President Droupadi Murmu administer the oath of office to C P Radhakrishnan, who officially assumed the role of Vice President of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president JP Nadda were among those who attended the programme.
Former vice presidents Hamid Ansari and Venkaiah Naidu were also present at the ceremony.
Jagdeep Dhankhar Resigns as Vice President
Jagdeep Dhankhar tendered his resignation as Vice President of India on 21 July, marking an unexpected development in the nation’s political landscape.
Fifty days after he sprung a surprise resignation, Dhankhar wrote a letter to Radhakrishnan,in which he said, “Heartfelt felicitations on your election as the Vice-President of Bharat, the world’s largest democracy and home to one-sixth of humanity.” He further said, “Your elevation to this august office reflects the trust and confidence by the representatives of our nation.”
This was Dhankhar’s first public statement since demitting office on Day 1 of monsoon session of Parliament.
Radhakrishnan succeeds Dhankhar after surprise resignation
The vice-presidential election was necessitated by the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on 21 July.
In the election held earlier this week, 67-year-old Radhakrishnan, a former Governor of Maharashtra, defeated the joint opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy by a margin of 152 votes.
Following his victory, Radhakrishnan stepped down from his role as Maharashtra Governor on Thursday.
Interim Maharashtra Governor appointed
In light of this transition, President Murmu appointed Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat to temporarily oversee the responsibilities of the Maharashtra Governor in addition to his current duties, an official statement from the President’s office confirmed.
With Radhakrishnan now in office, the new administration is expected to focus on strengthening parliamentary processes and continuing the reforms initiated under Dhankhar’s tenure.