Education, assets, political milestones: all about CP Radhakrishnan (Photo: ANI)
India is going to elect its next Vice President on September 9, today and Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, the NDA candidate, is one of the key figures in the contest. The polling already began, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first person to vote. CP will be competing against the INDIA bloc candidate Sudarshan Reddy.
CP Radhakrishnan was born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu into a Kongu Vellalar Gounder family, and has a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from V. O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi. While he was in college, he had a varied interest and also won the college level championship in table tennis.
Radhakrishnan entered into his early political life at 17 by going to RSS and Bharatiya Jana Sangh meetings. He truly engaged in politics starting in 1974 when he got co-opted in the Jan Sangh’s state executive committee. He first emerged at the national level as a BJP MP in Coimbatore, having been elected twice, in 1998 and 1999. He achieved something noteworthy in 1998 by being one of the only three BJP candidates to win regionally after the interplay between the BJP and the AIADMK played out. Radhakrishnan not only became an MP but also was elected to the Standing Committee on Textiles, while also serving on committees that dealt with finance and public undertakings.
In 2004 Radhakrishnan was a member of India’s parliamentary delegation to the UN General Assembly where he discussed disaster relief and humanitarian coordination, and he was president of BJP’s Tamil Nadu state unit in 2004 until 2007. When he was in office as president, Radhakrishnan made people aware of a range of social and environmental issues in a 19,000 km state-wide Ratha Yatra that lasted 93 days.
In February 2023, he was made the 10th Governor of Jharkhand. One year later, he was appointed Governor of Maharashtra with additional charge as Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. He held these offices until July 2024.
2025: Nominated as NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate.
2024: Sworn in as Governor of Maharashtra; had additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry.
2023: Appointed as Governor of Jharkhand.
1998 & 1999: Elected twice to Lok Sabha from Coimbatore.
2004–2007: BJP Tamil Nadu President.
As per recent revelations, CP Radhakrishnan’s net worth is ₹64.75 crore, and declared assets equal ₹67.11 crore.
With three decades of political background, governor role experience, and a long tradition with the BJP, Radhakrishnan has now one of the largest challenges of his career as he contests for the Vice President’s seat India’s second-highest constitutional post.
ALSO READ: Two Southern Faces, One National Contest: What Vice President Election Mean For Regional Politics?
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
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