Vice-President to Visit Karnataka and Keralam on October 16

1. At a Glance

• Event: The Vice-President of India, Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, visits Karnataka and Keralam on 16 October 2026 [1].
• He has two engagements: Chief Guest at the commissioning of Indian Navy ship INS Samarthak at Karwar, and inaugurating Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026 at Kozhikode [1].
• UPSC value: It is a current-affairs hook for three things: (a) the office of the Vice-President (GS-II), (b) a new naval ship and the Karwar naval base (GS-III, security), and (c) Navaratri as a cultural festival (GS-I).

2. Why in the News

• 15 October 2026: The Vice President's Secretariat announced the visit through PIB Delhi (Release ID 2323875) [1].
• 16 October 2026: INS Samarthak is commissioned at Karwar, Karnataka, with the Vice-President as Chief Guest [1].
• 16 October 2026, later in the day: He inaugurates Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026 at Kozhikode, Keralam [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• 9 September 2025: Vice-Presidential election held [2].
• Result: C. P. Radhakrishnan won 452 votes against Justice (Retd.) B. Sudarshan Reddy, who got 300 [2].
• 12 September 2025: President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath; he became the 15th Vice-President of India [2].
• Since then: He serves as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha by virtue of the office [2].
• Origin: He is originally from Tamil Nadu [2].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact	Cite
Incumbent VP	C. P. Radhakrishnan (Chandrapuram Ponnusami Radhakrishnan)	[2]
Ordinal	15th Vice-President of India	[2]
Oath administered by	President Droupadi Murmu, 12 Sep 2025	[2]
Election date	9 Sep 2025	[2]
Total electorate	788 MPs (245 Rajya Sabha + 543 Lok Sabha)	[2]
Effective electorate	781 (6 Rajya Sabha seats + 1 Lok Sabha seat vacant)	[2]
Votes polled	767, of which 752 valid and 15 invalid	[2]
Turnout	98.2%	[2]
Votes	Radhakrishnan 452; Sudarshan Reddy 300	[2]
Ex-officio role	Chairman, Rajya Sabha	[2]
Issuing office	Vice President's Secretariat, via PIB Delhi	[1]
Ship	INS Samarthak, Indian Navy; commissioned at Karwar, Karnataka	[1]
Cultural event	Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026, Kozhikode, Keralam	[1]

• Constitutional anchors [uncited — verify in Bare Act]:
• Art. 63 establishes the office of Vice-President.
• Art. 64 makes the VP ex-officio Chairman of the Council of States.
• Art. 66 sets the election method: an electoral college of members of both Houses, proportional representation by single transferable vote, secret ballot.
• Art. 67 sets a five-year term.
• Art. 71 places election disputes with the Supreme Court.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Legal / Constitutional

• The electoral college has only MPs. That is why the electorate was 788 (245 RS + 543 LS) and not a figure that includes state MLAs [2].
• The effective electorate fell to 781 because seats were vacant. Vacancies do not invalidate the election [2].
• The VP's dual role as Chairman, Rajya Sabha links this office to legislative functions [2].

Geopolitical / Strategic

• The commissioning of INS Samarthak at Karwar adds to the Navy's assets on the west coast [1].
• When a constitutional authority attends a commissioning as Chief Guest, it signals the State's support for building up naval capability [1].

Federal / Governance

• One day covers two states, Karnataka and Keralam, through one defence event and one cultural event [1]. This fits the ceremonial outreach role of the high constitutional offices.
• The official release uses the name "Keralam" [1]. See Trap Areas.

Cultural (GS-I)

• Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026 at Kozhikode shows Navaratri as a festival of arts and culture in Keralam, with official patronage [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 9 Sep 2025: VP election held; turnout 98.2% [2].
• 12 Sep 2025: Radhakrishnan sworn in as the 15th VP [2].
• 15 Oct 2026: PIB release announces the Karnataka–Keralam visit [1].
• 16 Oct 2026: INS Samarthak commissioned at Karwar; Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026 inaugurated at Kozhikode [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• C. P. Radhakrishnan is the 15th Vice-President of India [2].
• His oath was administered by President Droupadi Murmu on 12 September 2025 [2].
• The 2025 VP election was held on 9 September 2025 [2].
• The VP electoral college had 788 members: 245 Rajya Sabha + 543 Lok Sabha [2].
• The effective electorate was 781 because of 7 vacancies (6 RS + 1 LS) [2].
• 767 votes were polled: 752 valid, 15 invalid [2].
• Turnout was 98.2% [2].
• The winner got 452 votes; the runner-up, Justice B. Sudarshan Reddy, got 300 [2].
• The Vice-President serves as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha [2].
• INS Samarthak was commissioned at Karwar, Karnataka, on 16 October 2026 [1].
• The Vice-President was Chief Guest at the commissioning [1].
• Navaratri Sargotsavam 2026 was held at Kozhikode and inaugurated by the VP [1].
• The release came from the Vice President's Secretariat (PIB Release ID 2323875) [1].

8. How Kerala Became 'Keralam': The Article 3 Route

• The name change started with the state, but only Parliament could make it
• On 24 June 2024, the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a resolution asking the Centre to change the name to "Keralam" [3].
• The reason it gave: the Constitution's First Schedule (the official list of all states and Union Territories) records the name as "Kerala", not the Malayalam form [3].

• A state cannot rename itself. Under Article 3, only Parliament can change a state's name, by passing a law [3].

• The steps followed, in order

• 24 February 2026: The Union Cabinet approved the proposal. The Law Ministry's Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department agreed with it [3].
• Referral to the state: Under the proviso (the extra condition) of Article 3, the President must first send the Bill to the state legislature for its views. Only after that can it be introduced in Parliament [3].
• 10 August 2026: The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha. It was a Home Affairs Ministry Bill [4].

• 11 August 2026: Lok Sabha passed it. 12 August 2026: Rajya Sabha passed it [4].

• What the Bill changes

• It replaces "Kerala" with "Keralam" in the First Schedule of the Constitution [4].

• The PRS summary does not mention any other law being amended [4].

• This answers the note's "Keralam" trap, with one gap left

• The October 2026 PIB release says "Keralam" because Parliament had passed the Bill two months earlier [1][4].

• The PRS tracker does not show the President's assent (formal approval) or the date it took effect [4]. Until you confirm that, write "Keralam (formerly Kerala)" in answers. This is safe whichever way the assent question turns out.

• Why this matters for Prelims

• UPSC often asks who starts a renaming and who decides it. The answer: the state's request starts it, the Union Cabinet approves it, the President refers it to the state, and Parliament passes the law [3][4].

9. Why Karwar Matters More Than One Ship

• The ship is one event. The base behind it is a long-running project
• Karwar is being built up under Project Seabird. Phase IIA is still in progress [5].
• Official releases say that once complete, Phase IIA will hold 32 ships and submarines and 23 yard craft (small harbour boats such as tugs). It will also have a dual-use Naval Air Station (an airfield shared by naval and civilian flights) and a full Naval Dockyard [5].
• The base will house about 10,000 uniformed and civilian personnel with their families [5].

• So in a Mains answer on west-coast naval strength, cite Karwar's planned size. One commissioning does not show that.

• Official releases show progress, but not the deadline

• Phase IIA progress is mostly reported through housing openings. Example: on 21 February 2026, one tower of 60 units for senior sailors and four towers of 240 units for naval defence civilians were opened [5].
• These releases give no completion date for Phase IIA and no figure for cost overrun [5].

• So official sources cannot tell you whether the project is on time. Do not write "delayed" or "on schedule" in an answer unless you have a source for it.

• What to do with this in an answer

• Link the commissioning to Project Seabird as the bigger story [1][5].
• Be honest about the limit: official releases report what has been inaugurated, not how far the project has to go [5].

10. Anchors for Answers

• Data: Project Seabird Phase IIA is planned for 32 ships and submarines, 23 yard craft, and about 10,000 personnel with families at Karwar [5]
• Data: The 2025 VP election drew 98.2% turnout from an effective electorate of 781 MPs [2]
• Law/Case: Article 3, under which Parliament alters a state's name after the President refers the Bill to the state legislature [3]; Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which changes the First Schedule entry to "Keralam" [4]
• Scheme: Project Seabird (Karwar naval base). It is the infrastructure behind ship commissionings on the west coast [5]

11. Mains Relevance

• GS-II:
• Parliament and State Legislatures: structure and functioning.
• Appointment to constitutional posts.

• The Executive.

• GS-III: Security challenges and their management; indigenisation of defence technology.

• GS-I: Indian culture, including festivals and performing arts.
• Possible question stems: 1. The Vice-President of India is elected by an electoral college of only Members of Parliament. Discuss the rationale and compare it with the Presidential election. 2. Examine the role of the Vice-President as ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha in keeping the House impartial. 3. Expanding naval infrastructure on India's west coast is central to its maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean Region. Discuss.

12. Related Topics to Study Next

• Presidential vs Vice-Presidential election: contrast the electoral colleges (the VP's excludes state MLAs, nominated MPs vote).
• Removal of the Vice-President: the procedure starts only in the Rajya Sabha; a frequent Prelims question.
• Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha: presides when the Chairman is absent; how the two roles divide.
• Karwar naval base / Project Seabird (INS Kadamba): the strategic site behind the commissioning (check details on the MoD site).
• Indigenous shipbuilding / Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence: context for new Navy ships.
• Commissioning vs launching vs delivery of a warship: a terminology question area.
• Renaming of states (Art. 3): context for "Keralam" in official usage.
• Navaratri and regional variants: Dussehra, Durga Puja, Bommai Kolu, Vidyarambham.

13. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• Vice-President of India (Polity): The visit centres on the Vice-President; the note covers their election, five-year term and powers.
• Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Polity): The Vice-President holds this post ex officio, which links the office to Parliament's working.
• Single transferable vote (Polity): The VP is elected by this voting method, which also explains the 452 and 300 vote counts.
• Formation of new states (Polity): Article 3 is the route by which Parliament renamed Kerala as Keralam, which the note explains.
• First Schedule (Polity): The renaming Bill changes the state's name in this Schedule, which lists all states and Union territories.
• Removal of the Vice-President (Polity): Frequent Prelims topic. Only the Rajya Sabha can start removal, unlike the Presidential process.

14. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Ordinal: Radhakrishnan is the 15th VP [2]. Do not confuse this with counts of Presidents or with how many people have held the office.
• Electorate composition: Only MPs (788) vote in the VP election [2]. State MLAs do not. Aspirants often import the Presidential election formula.
• Who administers the oath: The President [2], not the Chief Justice of India (CJI). The CJI administers the oath to the President.
• "Keralam" vs "Kerala": The PIB release uses "Keralam" [1]. Check whether a renaming has been formally notified under Art. 3 before using it in answers. This could not be confirmed from whitelisted sources.
• INS Samarthak details: Its builder, class and dimensions could not be confirmed from Tier 1 sources. News reports differ on "delivery" vs "commissioning" wording. Do not memorise those specifications from secondary sites without checking PIB or MoD.