C.P. Radhakrishnan was elected as the 15th Vice President of India on September 9, 2025. He defeated Justice B. Sudershan Reddy by 452 votes to 300 votes, and the turnout among Members of Parliament was nearly 98%. For RAS and UPSC-style preparation, this update is important mainly for prelims because it combines a current political event with the static polity topic of constitutional offices.
Radhakrishnan is a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and a former Member of Parliament from Coimbatore. He had earlier served as Governor of Telangana and Jharkhand, and also as acting Governor of Maharashtra. This background makes the issue relevant at three levels: the person elected, the office he holds, and the constitutional role attached to that office.
The static-GK linkage is Article 66, which deals with the election of the Vice President. The Vice President is elected by an electoral college made up of elected and nominated members of both Houses of Parliament. The Vice President also serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, a role linked with Article 64. Therefore, exam preparation should not stop at the name of the new office-holder. The election process, composition of the electoral college, Rajya Sabha connection, and vote figures from the 2025 election should be revised together.
In prelims, likely question areas include the 15th Vice President, his opponent, vote count, Articles 64 and 66, and the Vice President's ex-officio chairmanship of the Rajya Sabha.