Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, often referred to as C.P. Radhakrishnan, is a veteran Indian politician with a strong background in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, he has had a long and varied career, marked by grassroots activism, parliamentary service, and gubernatorial duties. On August 17, 2025, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.

Radhakrishnan's political journey began early, as he became associated with organizations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Jan Sangh from the age of 16. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. His active political career took off when he was appointed the Secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu in 1996.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Coimbatore, first in 1998 and again in 1999. In the 1998 election, which followed the Coimbatore bombings, he won by a significant margin of over 150,000 votes, and in 1999, he secured his seat by a margin of 50,000 votes. During his terms as a Member of Parliament, Radhakrishnan served on several committees, including the Committee on Commerce, the Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, and the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) and the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for Finance. Furthermore, he was part of the parliamentary delegation that addressed the UN General Assembly in 2004.

Radhakrishnan has also held significant positions within the BJP. He served as the Tamil Nadu BJP State President from 2004 to 2007. During his presidency, he undertook a 93-day "Ratha Yatra" covering 19,000 km to advocate for the linking of Indian rivers, the eradication of untouchability, and campaigning against terrorism. He also led two more Padayatras for various causes. In 2020, he was appointed the BJP Prabhari (In-charge) for Kerala, a role he held until 2022.

Before being nominated as the NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate, Radhakrishnan served as the Governor of Maharashtra since July 31, 2024. Prior to that, he was the Governor of Jharkhand from February 2023 to July 2024. During his tenure as Governor of Jharkhand, he also held additional charge as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry between March and July 2024. As Governor of Jharkhand, he visited all 24 districts within his first four months, interacting with citizens and district officials.

Radhakrishnan's nomination as the NDA candidate for Vice President has been described as a strategic move, given his extensive political experience and his roots in Tamil Nadu. BJP President JP Nadda expressed confidence that Radhakrishnan would receive support from all parties, highlighting his distinguished career in public service. The Vice Presidential election is scheduled for September 9, 2025.