VP Elections Today: Who Is CP Radhakrishnan? BJP’s Southern Face

Vice President Elections: The voting for the vice-presidential elections is scheduled today, Sept 9, 2025. The voting will take place in the Parliament House from 10 am to 5 pm, and the counting of votes will begin at 6 pm, as the results are expected to be announced later in the evening.

The post remains vacant after the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing health issues. The election will be held at the Parliament House in New Delhi. 

The ruling NDA backed Maharashtra Government, CP Radhakrishnan, whereas the Opposition INDIA bloc took a chance on former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy. 

Here is the profile of CP Radhakrishnan, who he is. 

Who Is CP Radhakrishnan?

NDA’s candidate CP Radhakrishnan for the vice presidential elections is currently serving as the Governor of Maharashtra. Before this, he had served as the Governor of Jharkhand with an additional charge as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

Having more than four decades of experience in politics in Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan wore several hats as Secretary of the BJP, party chief and the governor of several states.

In 1974, he became a State Executive Committee member of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in Tamil Nadu and in 1996, he was appointed Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Born on October 20, 1957, in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur, he served two terms as Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore in 1998 and 1999. As per the information available, he chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Textiles and was a member of the committees on Public Sector Undertakings and Finance.

Before becoming the Governor of Jharkhand, he led a 93-day, 19,000-km Ratha Yatra, focused on interlinking rivers and implementing a uniform civil code, which enhanced his projection in the party.

Why the BJP Picked Maharashtra Governor As VP Candidate?

Since the Vice President is the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. As the Rajya Sabha plays an important role in the passing of bills and moderating the debate and discussions, to hold a strong grip in the House, the BJP needs an experienced leader.

Radhakrishnan fulfils this criterion, having over four decades of experience in politics. He held several organisational posts and has been governor of several states.

Announcing his name, BJP President JP Nadda described him as a statesman who commands respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu.

Also, Radhakrishnan began his career as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He has always been loyal to the party. His loyalty and ideological alignment towards the RSS made him the first choice of the BJP.

Who Elects The Vice President of India?

With 233 elected members of the Rajya Sabha (Presently 05 seats are vacant), 12 nominated members of the Upper House and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (Presently 01 seat is vacant), the Electoral College, currently, comprises a total of 788 members (Presently 782 members) of both Houses of Parliament.

The value of the vote of each Member of Parliament would be the same, i.e. 1 (one).

As per Article 66 of the Indian Constitution, the Vice President is elected by the system of proportional representation using a single transferable vote and voting by secret ballot.

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