Vice Presidents of India

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) holds the distinction of being the first non-Congress party to hold the office of the Vice President of India. R. Venkataraman, a prominent TDP leader, served as the Vice President from 1984 to 1987.

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a renowned philosopher and statesman, was the first Vice President of India to be elected unopposed. He held office from 1952 to 1962.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) holds the unique distinction of having two of its members serve as the Vice President of India. M. Hidayatullah and K. R. Narayanan, both prominent DMK leaders, held the office in 1979-1984 and 1997-2002, respectively.

Varahagiri Venkata Giri, who served as the Vice President of India from 1967 to 1969, had previously held the position of Chief Minister of Madras State (now Tamil Nadu) from 1954 to 1957.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) holds the distinction of having its leader, K. R. Narayanan, serve as both the Vice President (1997-2002) and the President of India (2002-2007).

Mohammad Hidayatullah, who served as the Vice President of India from 1979 to 1984, was also a distinguished jurist and served as the Chief Justice of India from 1968 to 1970.

Ramaswamy Venkataraman, who served as the Vice President of India from 1984 to 1987, was the first Vice President to be elected from the opposition party (Indian National Congress) at the time.