Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) nominee for the upcoming vice-presidential elections, was picked after detailed discussions with alliance partners, and the party’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), people familiar with the details said on Sunday.
The 68-year-old BJP leader who is rooted in RSS ideology is known in the party as a soft-spoken, non-controversial figure, who is also the only BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, to have been elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999.
Currently the governor of Maharashtra, a position he has held since July 31, 2024, Radhakrishnan, an OBC from the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar community, was born in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, where he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
People close to Raj Bhavan said the Maharashtra governor was sounded out about his possible candidature on Sunday afternoon, after which he paid a visit to the famous Siddhivinayak temple to seek blessings of the deity.
Having cut his teeth in public life as an RSS swayamsevak, he rose to become the state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974. His colleagues said his affability and ability to steer the party without conflict and controversy were the reasons why he was picked to head the state unit in 2004.
Party leaders welcomed his nomination, describing him as an “excellent choice for the role”, because of his “pragmatic, straightforward and clean image”.
Although as governor of Jharkhand between February 2023 and July 2024 he locked horns with the JMM government over a host of issues, particularly concerning the tribal communities, his gubernatorial stint was not as combative as those of other BJP governors in non-NDA-ruled states or even his predecessor Ramesh Bais in Jharkhand or Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Maharashtra.
A table tennis player and a long-distance runner, Radhakrishnan’s elevation as governor in 2023 was seen as the party’s attempt to create a new political order in the state unit. A man with friendly ties across the political divide, he was also called the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore”, for his conciliatory politics. But with the rise of K Annamalai, there was a stir in the party unit, which was attributed to testy relations between the old order and the young crop.
{{/usCountry}}A table tennis player and a long-distance runner, Radhakrishnan’s elevation as governor in 2023 was seen as the party’s attempt to create a new political order in the state unit. A man with friendly ties across the political divide, he was also called the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore”, for his conciliatory politics. But with the rise of K Annamalai, there was a stir in the party unit, which was attributed to testy relations between the old order and the young crop.
{{/usCountry}}His nomination for the VP’s post is also being read as the party’s attempts to strengthen its outreach and footprint in the southern region, particularly in Tamil Nadu where elections are due in 2026. His stint as a parliamentarian, his dyed in the wool RSS credentials and cordial ties with leaders across the political spectrum are seen as attributes that would help him steer the House of Elders as chairman.
Although the NDA’s strength in the Upper House is 132 members (of 240) and the alliance is expected to win the polls comfortably, the BJP is hopeful that the nominee will get support from other parties that are not part of the opposition’s INDIA bloc.
(With inputs from Yogesh Naik)