New Delhi: Political turmoil continues regarding the Vice Presidential election. On August 17, BJP Parliamentary Board declared Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan as NDA's candidate for the post of Vice President. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired this meeting. BJP President J.P. Nadda said that this decision was taken after discussions with NDA allies and opposition leaders. There are many reasons behind BJP declaring C.P. Radhakrishnan as the candidate for Vice President, let's know in detail...
Jagdeep Dhankhar had resigned from the post of Vice President citing health reasons. After this, the Election Commission has fixed the date of voting on September 9. The last date for nomination is August 21 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is August 25. According to the notification issued by the Commission, the counting of votes will take place on the day of voting.
NDA meeting after the announcement of the candidate
After the announcement of the NDA candidate, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting in the new Parliament House. Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju and many NDA leaders attended it. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that despite the NDA having a majority, priority was given to building a consensus. PM Modi described Radhakrishnan as a leader who has always been humble and has been serving the people.
Career of C.P. Radhakrishnan
Radhakrishnan was born on 20 October 1957 in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. He joined the RSS in his childhood. By 1974, he became the state executive member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. After this he graduated in Business Administration. In 1996, he became the Tamil Nadu Secretary of BJP. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore twice. He served on several committees. In 2004, Radhakrishnan represented India at the United Nations General Assembly. He was also part of the first Indian parliamentary delegation to visit Taiwan.
Radhakrishnan was the president of Tamil Nadu BJP from 2004 to 2007. During this, he took out a 19,000 km Rath Yatra of 93 days. In this, he raised issues like river linking project, uniform civil code, terrorism, untouchability and campaign against drugs. Radhakrishnan was also the chairman of the Coir Board from 2016 to 2020. During this period, coir exports reached Rs 2,532 crore.
Became Governor of Maharashtra in 2024
Later he was made the BJP in-charge for Kerala from 2020 to 22. In 2023, he became the Governor of Jharkhand. There he visited all 24 districts in four months. In March 2024, he was given additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry. In July 2024, he took oath as the 21st Governor of Maharashtra.
Sources of our partner Times of India told that the NDA has chosen Radhakrishnan keeping many things in mind. The first reason is that he belongs to the OBC Gounder community. Which is a major caste in the western part of Tamil Nadu. He has also been associated with the RSS and has been a BJP worker for a long time.
Tamil Nadu factor was also considered
The BJP also considered the Tamil Nadu factor before declaring Radhakrishnan as a candidate. Tamil Nadu assembly elections are going to be held next year, on which the BJP is fully focused. C.P. Radhakrishnan is the second OBC after Dhankhar to become the Vice President. He is the third person from Tamil Nadu to hold this post after S. Radhakrishnan and R. Venkataraman.
Working as a governor has given Radhakrishnan administrative experience. Which will be helpful in the functioning of the Rajya Sabha. BJP now has another prominent Gounder face. K. Annamalai also belongs to this community. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami also belongs to this caste. Another plus point for the BJP is that Radhakrishnan has had good relations with both DMK and AIADMK.
What does it mean for the opposition?
According to sources, after the NDA announced the name of C.P. Radhakrishnan, many opposition parties are not able to decide whether to support the opposition candidate or not. The whip does not apply in the election of the Vice President, so there is a strong possibility of cross-voting. With Radhakrishnan's nomination, the BJP and its ally AIADMK are expected to see this election as an issue of Tamil pride. If the opposition parties, especially the DMK, oppose this candidature aggressively or challenge it, they may face defeat in the state.
BJP wants to improve its image in South India
Political experts believe that the BJP wants to improve its political image in South India by fielding Radhakrishnan. It presents itself as a party that promotes leaders from different regions and communities. Nadda said Radhakrishnan has "done public service for nearly 40 years" and is respected by all parties. Whether the BJP will benefit from this in the 2026 assembly elections remains to be seen.
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