NDA picks Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as vice-president candidate

New Delhi | The ruling National Democratic Alliance on Sunday named Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader belonging to a key OBC caste from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background, as its vice-presidential candidate.

BJP president J P Nadda made the announcement following a meeting of the party's parliamentary board, which included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and consultation with the party's allies.

Nadda appealed for unanimous election of Radhakrishnan (67), an OBC leader and two-time former member of Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, to the constitutional position, saying BJP leaders had spoken to the opposition parties over the last week and will reach out to them again.

Opposition leaders had told the BJP interlocutors that they can make up their mind only after being told of the ruling alliance's nominee, Nadda said, adding that his party will speak to them to reach a consensus over Radhakrishnan, whom he lauded as a "statesman".

In Radhakrishnan, the BJP has trusted a leader with a proven organsiational and ideological commitment, a far cry from its choice of his predecessor, Jagdeep Dhankhar.

In his reaction, Modi said on X, "Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji has distinguished himself with his dedication, humility and intellect. During the various positions he has held, he has always focused on community service and empowering the marginalised. He has done extensive work at the grassroots in Tamil Nadu."

The prime minister expressed confidence that Radhakrishnan will be an inspiring vice-president, who is the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and will play a crucial role in handling the government's agenda in Parliament.

Due to the comfortable majority of the BJP and its allies in the electoral college, comprising Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, Radhakrishnan’s election is all but certain, and the party hopes that his elevation will help it make fresh inroads in Tamil Nadu, where elections are due next year.

Radhakrishnan belongs to the influential Gounder caste, an OBC community, in Tamil Nadu.

Nadda emphasised Radhakrishnan's nearly 40 years in public life, noting that he is well regarded in different parties and commands respect among various sections of society in his home state, where the BJP remains a junior player behind the two major Dravidian regional parties – the ruling DMK and the ADIMK.

"He is considered a statesman," Nadda said of the former Coimbatore MP, who was made the Jharkhand governor in 2023 and then shifted to Maharashtra in July 2024.

Unlike his predecessor Dhankhar, who was also a governor like him before being named as the NDA's vice-presidential nominee in 2022, Radhakrishnan has largely refrained from cultivating a public profile on controversial political issues as a governor.

However, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had alleged last year that the Raj Bhavan was instrumental in his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate as part of a "conspiracy" by the Centre.

Radhakrishnan then held a press conference on February 8, 2024, to deny the charge, insisting that his office had followed every democratic norm.

With the NDA enjoying the support of at least 422 members in the electoral college of 781 MPs, Radhakrishnan’s victory in any contest against the Opposition is a foregone conclusion. The majority mark is 391.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, sources said, will oversee the vice-presidential election, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will be the polling agent.

The last date for filing nomination is August 21.

Chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the BJP-led alliance will to be part of Radhakrishnan's nomination-filing exercise, other than the prime minister and Union ministers.

If the Opposition also names its candidate, the election will be held on September 9.

The NDA parliamentary party is expected to meet on August 19.

Making the announcement, Nadda said even as a governor, Radhakrishnan has been actively involved in issues related to social indicators, first in Jharkhand and then in Maharashtra.

As the chairman of the Coir Board, a statutory body established by the Union government for the promotion and development of the coir industry, he did commendable work and is a widely-travelled person with visits to nearly 124 countries, Nadda said.

Modi said Radhakrishnan has rich experience as an MP and governor of various states.

"His Parliamentary interventions were always incisive. During his gubernatorial tenures, he focused on addressing challenges faced by common citizens. These experiences ensured that he has vast knowledge of legislative and Constitutional matters," Modi said.

BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said on X that Radhakrishnan would be only the second OBC leader ever to occupy the high office of president or vice-president, and the first from South India.

He would also be the third person from Tamil Nadu to rise to the position of vice-president, Malviya said.

In the past, Radhakrishnan served as the acting governor of Telangana and the acting lieutenant governor of Puducherry.

A former president of Tamil Nadu BJP, Radhakrishnan has been associated with the party since its early years and represented it in the Lok Sabha between 1998 and 2004.

The vice-presidential election has been necessitated following Dhankhar's sudden resignation on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

Though Dhankhar cited health reasons as the cause of his resignation, it is believed that his souring ties with the government played a role in his abrupt departure.

CP Radhakrishan visits Narendra Modi Long-time RSS volunteer, former MP from TN and governor for multiple states is BJP's choice for VP post

New Delhi | He became associated with RSS and Jan Sangh in his teens, won Lok Sabha elections twice from Coimbatore in the late 1990s and his supporters call him 'Modi of Tamil Nadu' -- Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan is the BJP and NDA's choice for the Vice President's post.

Radhakrishnan, 67, lost three consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu after his two successive wins in 1998 and 1999, but he is said to be held in high esteem across party lines in Tamil Nadu, resulting in the BJP giving him multiple governor positions.

Being an OBC leader, his candidature also seeks to disarm the opposition of a key political narrative.

He was sworn in as the Governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024. Prior to this, he served as the Governor of Jharkhand for nearly one and a half years. As the Governor of Jharkhand, he was also given the additional charge of the Governor of Telangana and the Lt Governor of Puducherry.

Even after taking governor positions in various states, he has been frequently visiting Tamil Nadu. Just a few days ago, he was in the southern state where he attended several events and also met Chief Minister M K Stalin.

Assembly elections are due next year in Tamil Nadu.

Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Starting as an RSS Swayamsevak at the age of 16, he became a State Executive Committee Member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.

In 1996, Radhakrishnan was appointed the Secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Coimbatore in 1998. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999.

During his tenure as an MP, he served as chairman and member of various parliamentary committees, including one investigating the stock market scam.

Between 2004 and 2007, Radhakrishnan served as the state president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. In this role, he undertook a 19,000 km 'Ratha Yatra' that lasted for 93 days.

The Yatra was organised to highlight his demands for the linking of all Indian rivers, eradicating terrorism, implementing a uniform civil code, removing untouchability and combating the menace of narcotic drugs, some of the key planks of the BJP and RSS.

From 2020 to 2022, he was the all-India in-charge of the BJP for Kerala.

An avid sportsperson, Radhakrishnan was a college champion in table tennis and a long-distance runner. He also enjoys cricket and volleyball.

He is said to be instrumental in forming the new alliance for the BJP in Tamil Nadu in 2004 after the DMK ended its ties with the NDA.

Radhakrishnan focused on empowering marginalised, glad he is NDA nominee for VP polls: PM Modi

New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said NDA Vice Presidential candidate C P Radhakrishnan has always focused on empowering the marginalised and has distinguished himself with dedication, humility and intellect.

Modi said Radhakrishnan has done extensive work at the grassroots in Tamil Nadu and he was glad that the NDA family has decided to nominate him as the Vice Presidential candidate of the alliance.

“In his long years in public life, Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji has distinguished himself with his dedication, humility and intellect,” Modi said in a post on X.

“During the various positions he has held, he has always focused on community service and empowering the marginalised,” the prime minister said

Earlier, the BJP parliamentary board nominated Radhakrishnan as the NDA candidate for vice-president.

Announcing the nomination, BJP president J P Nadda said a meeting chaired by the prime minister decided Radhakrishnan's name after extensive deliberations.

Nadda hoped the opposition parties would support the NDA candidate.

The vice-presidential election, necessitated by the resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar last month, is scheduled for September 9. The last date for filing nomination is August 22.