In his first public appearance since resigning abruptly in July, former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar attended the swearing-in of his successor, CP Radhakrishnan, at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.
Dhankhar, accompanied by his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, was seen seated in the front row alongside former Vice Presidents M Venkaiah Naidu and Hamid Ansari.
He appeared calm, frequently smiling, greeting dignitaries, and engaging in conversation with Naidu during the brief ceremony. He also exchanged pleasantries with President Droupadi Murmu on her arrival.
By tradition, all living former Vice Presidents are invited to the oath-taking of a new Vice President.
Dhankhar’s presence, however, carried particular significance as it marked his return to the public eye after his sudden resignation on July 21, citing health reasons. His term was originally due to run until August 10, 2027.
At the ceremony, held at 10 am, President Murmu administered the oath of office to Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, who was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India. Dressed in a red kurta, the 67-year-old took oath in English in the name of God.
President Murmu congratulated Radhakrishnan after he took oath. Radhakrishnan, who won the election on Tuesday by defeating opposition nominee B Sudershan Reddy with a margin of 152 votes, is set to hold office until September 11, 2030.
He is the third leader from Tamil Nadu to become Vice President. Known as a "Pachai Tamizhan" (true-blue Tamil), he was serving as the governor of Maharashtra when the BJP-led NDA named him as its candidate.
On Tuesday, Radhakrishnan described his election as “a victory of the nationalistic ideology” and vowed to “work towards making India a developed nation by 2047.”
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, former president Ram Nath Kovind, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis, Mohan Yadav, and Chandrababu Naidu, among others.
