With an eye on 2026 TN polls, BJP picks Radhakrishnan as Vice Presidential candidate

The BJP parliamentary board on Sunday nominated Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan as the NDA candidate for vice-president. The vice-presidential election, necessitated by the resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar last month, is scheduled for September 9.

New Delhi: The BJP on Sunday announced Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnuswamy Radhakrishnan as the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP President J.P. Nadda, addressing a press conference after the meeting, said the party had held discussions with allies and several opposition parties over the past week.

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“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 (RSS), is being viewed as a strategic outreach to Tamil Nadu, where Assembly elections are due next year.

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).

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.