Monday, Aug 18, 2025 22:45 [IST]
Last Update: Sunday, Aug 17, 2025 17:13 [IST]
NEW DELHI, (IANS): 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.
"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.
