 "Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?")
CP Radhakrishnan will be the next Vice-President of India.
The National Democratic Alliance candidate and Maharashtra Governor on Tuesday won the Vice-Presidential election by bagging 452 votes. Meanwhile, B Sudershan Reddy, the retired Supreme Court judge picked by the India bloc got 300 votes.
Members of both Houses of Parliament cast their votes in the Parliament House between 10 am and 5 pm today, while counting began at 6 pm.
According to returning Officer PC Mody, a total of 767 votes were cast in today’s Vice-Presidential polls. Of these, 752 were valid and 15 were invalid.
Radhakrishnan’s name was announced by BJP president JP Nadda after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board. The meeting was attended by senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The seat became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. He stepped down, citing health issues.
But who is CP Radhakrishnan? Find out below:
Who is CP Radhakrishnan?
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan is a two-time former Coimbatore MP and a former president of Tamil Nadu BJP.
The 68-year-old has spent more than forty years in public life and politics in Tamil Nadu. He was born on 20 October 1957 in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, and completed a degree in Business Administration.
He joined the RSS as a swayamsevak at the age of 16 and became a state executive member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.
In 1996, he was made the secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. Two years later, in 1998, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, and again in 1999.
As the state president between 2004 and 2007, he launched a 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’ that continued for 93 days. The Yatra focused on issues such as linking rivers across the country, fighting terrorism, bringing in a uniform civil code, ending untouchability, and tackling drug abuse.
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He took oath as the Governor of Maharashtra on 31 July 2024. Before this, he was the Governor of Jharkhand for around one and a half years.
During his tenure in Jharkhand, he was also given additional responsibilities as the Governor of Telangana and the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry by the President of India.
In 2004, he was part of the parliamentary delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. He was also among the members of the first parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.
In 2016, he became the chairman of the Coir Board in Kochi and held the post for four years.
Radhakrishnan also has a keen interest in sports. He was a table tennis champion in college and a long-distance runner, and also played cricket and volleyball.
He has travelled widely, visiting the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Turkey, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Egypt, the UAE, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Japan.
He is regarded as a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
His clean record and strong grassroots support strengthen his role as the BJP works to expand its presence in the southern states, particularly Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which will go to the polls next year.
CP Radhakrishnan’s mother reveals story behind son’s name
Janaki Ammal, his mother, in August had celebrated the announcement by cutting a cake at home and shared the story behind his name while speaking to party workers.
“When my son was born, we prayed to God that he would be like former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and named him after him. Today, that moment has come true,” she said.
VIDEO | Tamil Nadu: CP Radhakrishnan's mother Janaki Ammal expresses joy as her son is announced as NDA's Vice Presidential candidate.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 17, 2025
She says, “When my son was born, we prayed to God that he would be like former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and named him after him.… pic.twitter.com/JxvotBz61s
She added, “Lord Ganesh should grace him. I thank PM Modi for this honour.”
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