Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan demitted office on Thursday due to his election as the country’s next Vice President, a statement issued by the President’s office said.
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat to discharge functions of the Governor of Maharashtra, in addition to his own duties, it said.
Radhakrishnan, the 67-year-old National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee, won the vice-presidential election on Tuesday, defeating the joint opposition INDIA bloc’s nominee B Sudershan Reddy by 152 votes.
Radhakrishnan bagged 452 votes against the Opposition INDIA bloc nominee and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy’s 300 votes, amid indications of cross-voting in favour of the victorious candidate.
The election was necessitated by the sudden resignation of the earlier Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21.
“Consequent upon demitting the office of Governor of Maharashtra by C P Radhakrishnan due to his election as the Vice-President of India, the President of India has appointed Acharya Devvrat, Governor of Gujarat, to discharge the functions of the Governor of Maharashtra, in addition to his own duties,” the communique said.
Foregone conclusion
The victory of Radhakrishnan, 67, a seasoned politician from Tamil Nadu with RSS roots since childhood and decades-long stint first in the Jana Sangh and then the BJP, was a foregone conclusion due to the ruling alliance’s numerical edge in the House.
Radhakrishnan’s victory was a foregone conclusion due to the ruling alliance’s numerical edge.
The BJP-led NDA had 427 MPs on paper, plus the support of the YSRCP’s 11 MPs. Some MPs representing smaller parties also backed him. This made Radhakrishnan’s victory a foregone conclusion, way above the halfway mark of 377.