New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and veteran RSS functionary Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan has been elected as the 15th Vice President of India, becoming the third leader from Tamil Nadu to hold the constitutional office.
Radhakrishnan, who was serving as the Governor of Maharashtra until recently, succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, whose sudden resignation on July 21 created a vacancy for the post.
Known for his calm and non-confrontational approach, the 67-year-old leader is widely regarded as a “Pachai Tamizhan” — a true son of Tamil Nadu.
Born in Tiruppur on October 20, 1957, Radhakrishnan entered public life as an RSS swayamsevak at the age of 16.
By 1974, he had already become a member of the state executive committee of the Bharatiya Janasangh.
Over the decades, he steadily rose through the BJP’s ranks, eventually taking charge as the Tamil Nadu unit president between 2004 and 2007.
Earlier, he also served as the state secretary (1996) and state president (2003–2006).
Elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure, Radhakrishnan played an active role in parliamentary debates.
Though he narrowly missed a cabinet berth in 1998 due to confusion over his name with another Tamil Nadu leader, he went on to gain prominence within the party for his organisational and administrative skills.
The Tamil Nadu leader also carved out a unique identity as an untainted politician from the socially and economically influential Kongu Vellalar Gounder community.
He is remembered for leading a 93-day, 19,000-km ‘Rath Yatra’ to press for causes such as interlinking rivers, combating terrorism, pushing for a Uniform Civil Code, eradicating untouchability, and fighting the menace of narcotics.
His administrative career includes gubernatorial assignments in Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra and Puducherry.
He was sworn in as Maharashtra Governor on July 31, 2024, after completing over a year as Jharkhand’s Governor.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while endorsing his candidature, described him as an “inspiring Vice President” who brings deep knowledge of legislative and constitutional matters. “
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As MP and Governor, Radhakrishnan ji worked tirelessly for the common citizen, with incisive parliamentary interventions and people-oriented initiatives,” Modi had said.
Apart from politics, Radhakrishnan has had a strong interest in sports.
A former table tennis champion in college, he was also an active long-distance runner and enjoys cricket and volleyball.
By elevating him to the Vice President’s chair, the BJP-led NDA not only honours his decades of political and organisational work but also presents him as the first OBC leader from South India to occupy the post — a move seen as politically significant.
Radhakrishnan now steps into his new role as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, bringing with him decades of political, administrative, and legislative experience.
