At the age of 17, he joined the RSS and Bharatiya Jana Sangh, starting his long journey in politics. (Photo: PTI)
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has chosen CP Radhakrishnan, senior BJP leader and current Governor of Maharashtra, as its candidate for the upcoming Vice President election. The announcement came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned due to health reasons. The election will take place on September 9, 2025.
CP Radhakrishnan was born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, in the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community. He studied Business Administration (BBA) at V. O. Chidambaram College in Thoothukudi.
He was active in sports and once won a college table tennis championship. At the age of 17, he joined the RSS and Bharatiya Jana Sangh, starting his long journey in politics.
Radhakrishnan entered national politics in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, when he won from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He won again in 1999. His 1998 win was special because the BJP had only three MPs from Tamil Nadu that year.
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In Parliament, he worked on the Standing Committee on Textiles and also on Finance and Public Sector Committees.
In 2004, he was part of India’s delegation to the UN General Assembly. Later, from 2004 to 2007, he was the President of Tamil Nadu BJP. During this time, he travelled 19,000 km in 93 days on a “Ratha Yatra” to talk about social and environmental issues.
In February 2023, he became the Governor of Jharkhand. In his first four months, he visited all 24 districts of the state to meet people and local leaders.
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In July 2024, he became the Governor of Maharashtra. At the same time, he was also given an extra charge as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. He later handed over those posts to his successors.
The Vice President election is scheduled for September 9, 2025. The last date for filing nominations was August 21, and candidates could withdraw till August 25.
BJP President JP Nadda announced Radhakrishnan’s name officially. If elected, Radhakrishnan will take over one of the top posts in India.
