The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has picked Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, the incumbent Governor of Maharashtra, as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election. BJP chief and Union Minister JP Nadda made the announcement during a press conference.
“At the parliamentary board meeting, we all unanimously decided on the VP candidate, CP Radhakrishnan. We also discussed the VP candidate with all our alliance parties (NDA)earlier. We will discuss our opposition party as well to smooth the VP election…” Nadda said at the press conference.
This development follows the BJP parliamentary board meeting, which was attended by top party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah.
Dhankhar resigned on 21 July
The candidature comes almost a month after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as Vice President on 21 July, opening the contest for his successor. Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022, and his tenure was till 2027.
The Election Commission issued a notification on 7 August for the 9 September election to the vice president’s post, kickstarting the nomination process. The last date of filing the nomination for Vice Presidential election is 21 August. The opposition INDIA bloc is yet to announce its candidates even as the numbers favour the NDA.
“CP Radhakrishnan considered a statesman, commands respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu,” Nadda said.
Who is CP Radhakrishnan?
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan has been associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP from the age of 16. He became a State Executive Committee Member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974. Jana Sangh was founded in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, before it became the BJP in 1980.
Radhakrishnan was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore twice. During his tenure as an MP, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Textiles. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and the Consultative Committee for Finance. He was a member of the Parliamentary Special Committee investigating the Stock Exchange Scam.
In 2004, Radhakrishnan addressed the UN General Assembly as part of the Parliamentary Delegation. He was also a member of the first Parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.
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.
Maharahstra Governor since July 2024
CP Radhakrishnan considered a statesman, commands respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu.
Radhakrishnan has been the Governor of Maharashtra since 31 July, 2024. Prior to becoming the Maharashtra Governor, Radhakrishnan served as the Governor of Jharkhand for nearly one and a half years.
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.