- BJP discussed Radhakrishnan’s candidacy with all parties in the NDA before reaching the decision: JP Nadda
NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, AUG 17
With an on the Tamil Nadu poll pie, The BJP on Sunday announced Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan alias C.P. Radhakrishnan as NDA vice presidential candidate. This comes less than a month after nearly a month after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post.
BJP national president JP Nadda announced Radhakrishnan’s nomination during a press conference on Sunday evening after the party’s parliamentary board held a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We hope the Vice President’s election will take place through consensus. We have spoken to many parties, and while the opposition said they would decide after our announcement, we are hopeful of wider support,” he told reporters.
The decision to field Radhakrishnan, a seasoned politician with long-standing ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is being viewed as a strategic outreach to Tamil Nadu, where Assembly elections are due next year.
Earlier in the day, Radhakrishnan visited the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai to seek blessings.
C.P. Radhakrishnan alias Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan who was Tamil Nadu state BJP president from 2003 to 2006 was appointed the Governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024. He had previously served as Jharkhand Governor from February 18, 2023, to July 30, 2024.
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur, Radhakrishnan was drawn to the RSS during his teenage years.
In his early days, he had already become an active member, shaping his political grounding in the Sangh Parivar’s ideology. He rose through the ranks of the BJP, serving as the party’s Tamil Nadu state President from 2004 to 2007, a period marked by attempts to expand the BJP’s footprint in the Dravidian heartland.
Radhakrishnan assumed charge as Governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024, after a stint as Governor of Jharkhand (February 2023–July 2024).
He was also entrusted with additional responsibilities as the Governor of Telangana (March–July 2024) and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry (March–August 2024).
Thanking PM Modi, Radhakrishnan said, “My heartfelt thanks to our beloved People’s leader our most respected Honourable Prime Minister Shri. @narendramodi Ji for nominating me as the NDA Vice Presidential candidate and giving me the opportunity to serve the Nation.”
Nadda said the BJP discussed Radhakrishnan’s candidacy with all parties in the NDA before reaching the decision. He said the Centre will contact the Opposition too, in a bid to seek an “unopposed election”. “CP Radhakrishnan considered a statesman, commands respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Even if the opposition fields a candidate, the NDA candidate can easily win the election, given its majority in the electoral college.
It should be noted that Radhakrishnan called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at his Chittaranjan Road residence in Chennai on August 11.
The BJP’s choice underscores the party’s effort to position a Tamil face at the national level ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.
With his deep RSS roots and administrative experience, Radhakrishnan’s nomination signals the NDA’s intent to strengthen its southern strategy.
