NEW DELHI – The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has formally chosen C.P. Radhakrishnan, who is now the Governor of Maharashtra, to run for vice president in the next election. People who know about the situation say that the BJP and its partners talked about the choice a lot before making it. They also talked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the party’s ideological tutor.
The 68-year-old chairman is well-known for his strong ties to the RSS and for being a calm, non-controversial person. He was born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, and is an OBC from the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar caste. He has been a Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore thrice, which is unusual for a BJP leader in the state. Radhakrishnan’s political career began as an RSS swayamsevak. In 1974, he became an executive committee member of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh. His coworkers say that his friendliness and ability to lead the party without causing problems were two of the main reasons he was chosen to be the head of the state unit in 2004.
A career full of working with others and being governor
Radhakrishnan’s political career is characterized by a mix of strong beliefs and practical, conciliatory politics. People lovingly called him the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore” because he could keep amicable ties with people from all political parties. During his time as governor from February 2023 to July 2024, he disagreed with the Jharkhand administration on several issues, although he was much less belligerent than other BJP-appointed governors in states that weren’t run by the NDA.
Many people think that the BJP’s choice of him is a smart way to enhance its presence and outreach in the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, where assembly elections are set for 2026. The party thinks he is a good choice to be chairman of the Rajya Sabha since he has been a member of parliament for a long time, has strong ties to the RSS, and is known for being a practical and honest leader.
The NDA, which has a solid majority of 132 members in the 240-seat Upper House, is sure that Radhakrishnan would win. The party hopes that his nomination will also get support from other parties that aren’t part of the opposition’s INDIA group, which would make the poll go smoothly.