NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan was elected as the Vice President of India on Tuesday, defeating opposition candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy by 152 votes. Soon after his victory, Radhakrishnan pledged to dedicate his new role to the nation’s progress and called for cooperation beyond party lines.
“In this new capacity, I will try my best for the development of the nation,” Radhakrishnan told reporters, emphasising that democracy thrives when both the ruling party and the opposition function as two vital sides of the same coin.
Reflecting on the responsibilities of his office, he said every public position carries both importance and limitations. “We must work within that framework,” he noted.
On the electoral outcome, Radhakrishnan remarked that while the INDIA bloc had projected the contest as an ideological battle, the results highlighted the acceptance of nationalistic values. He also invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, urging leaders to set aside politics after elections and focus collectively on development.
Prime Minister Modi, along with Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Pralhad Joshi and JP Nadda, met Radhakrishnan in the capital to congratulate him.
According to Rajya Sabha Secretary-General PC Mody, 767 out of 781 MPs voted in the election, recording a turnout of 98.20 percent. Radhakrishnan secured 452 first-preference votes, while Justice Reddy won 300. Fifteen votes were declared invalid, and 13 MPs abstained.
The Vice President’s post had been vacant since July 21, 2025, following Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation due to health reasons.
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan has had a long political and administrative career. He served as Governor of Maharashtra since July 2024, and earlier as Governor of Jharkhand, with additional charges in Telangana and Puducherry. A two-time MP from Coimbatore, Radhakrishnan is known for his strong organisational experience within the BJP.
