[1] Whisnu's father, Soetjipto Soedjono [id], was a senior politician within the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and had served as deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly.

[2] Whisnu studied engineering at the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology in Surabaya, and obtained a bachelor's degree.

[5] He was appointed to replace Bambang Dwi Hartono as mayor Tri Rismaharini (Risma)'s deputy on 8 November 2013, although he was only sworn in on 24 January 2014.

[6] As Risma's deputy, Whisnu publicly opposed her 2014 decision to shut down the Dolly red-light district [id], citing the economic dependence of the local inhabitants and lost jobs beyond the sex workers.

[13] Whisnu had intended to run for a seat in the East Java Regional People's Representative Council in the 2024 legislative election.