VP poll: Pawar blames Radhakrishnan for Soren arrest, refuses to support him

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reached out to Pawar on Thursday for support for National Democratic Alliance candidate CP Radhakrishnan

Published on: Aug 22, 2025, 16:20:22 IST

By Faisal Malik

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Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar leader Sharad Pawar on Friday declined the request for support to the National Democratic Alliance candidate CP Radhakrishnan for the September 9 vice-presidential poll, blaming him for Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s arrest last year.

Sharad Pawar at a function in Mumbai. (ANI)

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reached out to Pawar on Thursday for support for Radhakrishnan. Pawar reiterated his backing for the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’s candidate, former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy.

Pawar said Radhakrishnan was the Jharkhand governor when Soren was arrested as he went to meet him. He added that they know their strength in terms of votes, but still they do not find it appropriate to support a person like Radhakrishnan.

Pawar said Fadnavis contacted him seeking support for Radhakrishnan, as he is now the Maharashtra governor. “I straightaway told him that it is not possible because he is not a follower of our ideology,” Pawar said. “Moreover, he was the governor of Jharkhand when the sitting chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested from the Governor’s House.”

Pawar said Soren was facing a case, and to discuss it, he went to meet the governor Radhakrishnan. “At the same time, someone called central agencies...Their officials arrived there and arrested the chief minister in front of the governor,” he said. “It was an unprecedented incident.”

Pawar said Soren insisted that he should not be arrested at the Governor’s House. “Instead, they could arrest him outside, or at the chief minister’s official residence, but they rejected his request. It is an example of misuse of power. Hence, we did not find it appropriate to vote for such a person.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faisal Malik
Faisal Malik is a senior journalist with over two and a half decades of experience covering Maharashtra’s politics, governance and public policy with a deep understanding of the state’s political landscape. He is a Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times and has been associated with its Mumbai edition for more than a decade. Based in Mumbai, Faisal currently covers three major political parties in Maharashtra — Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and NCP (Sharad Pawar). Over the years, he has extensively reported on major political developments, combining investigative insights with in-depth field reporting. His coverage has spanned a wide range of issues, from drought, farmer suicides, major development projects and grassroots challenges to major electoral battles, including three Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections — 2014, 2019 and 2024. Before joining Hindustan Times, he worked with ‘The Asian Age’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’. An avid tea enthusiast, he enjoys reading history, Urdu literature and classical poetry. When away from the newsroom, he writes Urdu poetry inspired by human emotions, life's experiences, meaningful reflections and relationships. An amateur photographer, Faisal is passionate about capturing moments that often go unnoticed by the naked eye.Read More

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