MODI
Vice President of India: On Tuesday, CP Radhakrishnan, the candidate of the ruling BJP-led NDA, was elected as the Vice President of India. He won the post by defeating opposition All India Alliance candidate and former Supreme Court judge B Sudarshan Reddy. In the counting of votes, Radhakrishnan got 452 votes, while Reddy got 300 votes. This victory also underlines the strategic expansion of the party by bringing a leader from a southern state like Tamil Nadu to this top constitutional post.
The opposition All India Alliance fielded B Sudarshan Reddy, a native of Telangana who represents southern India, as its joint candidate. Reddy tried to project the election as a battle of ideologies and accused the BJP of being "anti-constitutional". However, his strategy failed. The NDA already had sufficient numbers, making the election a mere formality. The post of vice-president, which is largely ceremonial, witnessed a symbolic contest this time too.
President Droupadi Murmu congratulates CP Radhakrishnan on winning the 2025 Vice Presidential election.
"Your decades of rich experience in public life will contribute significantly to the nation’s progress. I extend my best wishes to you for a successful and impactful… pic.twitter.com/bGHEf6gZri— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2025
CP Radhakrishnan, born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, has been a dedicated RSS worker. He started his journey with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since his teenage years. Radhakrishnan, who holds a graduate degree in business administration, accelerated his political innings under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was elected Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore in 1998 and 1999, when the atmosphere was unfavorable for the BJP amid the dominance of Dravidian ideology in Tamil Nadu.
Radhakrishnan's gentle and all-party friendly image earned him the title of "Vajpayee of Coimbatore". According to a report by HT, "He was in the race to become a Union minister in the late 1990s, but missed the opportunity due to confusion in names." After losing the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he was appointed Governor of first Jharkhand and then Maharashtra by the Modi government.
As Vice President, CP Radhakrishnan will now take over the role of Rajya Sabha Chairman. His colleagues said "his affability and non-controversial personality made him the head of the Tamil Nadu BJP unit in 2004." This quality can now make his role in the Upper House of Parliament more effective. By 2023, the BJP was working towards establishing a new leadership in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the governor of Jharkhand and then Maharashtra. His new role reflects the BJP's growing penetration in South India.
Radhakrishnan's victory is being seen as part of BJP's southern strategy ahead of next year's assembly elections. Despite the dominance of Dravidian ideology in Tamil Nadu, the party chose an experienced and loyal leader for the post, which reflects its ambition to expand in South India.
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