CP Radhakrishnan – an RSS man, two-time MP, and a politician with a career without any controversy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) chose Radhakrishnan, currently serving as the Governor of Maharashtra, as their Vice President candidate. The opposition has fielded former Supreme Court judge Justice (R) B Sudershan Reddy against him.
The election of the Vice President of India will take place on September 9 and the results will be declared the same day.
With a political career spanning four decades, CP Radhakrishnan is not a random choice of the party, but a thoughtful one. While the name may seem new to many, Radhakrishnan has been there in politics before everyone for years. He entered politics as a leader of Jan Sangh, went on to participate in the parliamentary delegation at the United Nations (UN), and also led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
CP Radhakrishnan – Does the name have a message?
The nominations of elections as high-profile as the President and Vice President often depend on symbolism. When the BJP chose Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate for the VP back in 2022, the message was for Rajasthan and Haryana.
Dhankhar is hailed as a farmer’s son ‘kisan putra’, a prominent Jat leader. The messaging was simple. A man from humble background can also reach the second highest office of the country. The party leaders praised Dhankhar’s experience, rich knowledge and varied experience as reasons behind their selection.
But there were two more factors – Rajasthan elections (2023) and Haryana elections (2024). Jagdeep Dhankhar is a native of Kithana village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district. He was also elected to Rajasthan assembly twice, and also served as an advocate in Rajasthan High Court. A popular Jat leader at helm, BJP attempted to woo Jat voters from both states. And in both states, the saffron party won the polls.
Is BJP eyeing Tamil Nadu?
CP Radhakrishnan was born in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and then joined RSS as a Swayamsevak. He later became a State Executive Committee Member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974. A little over 20 years later in 1966, Radhakrishnan was appointed the Secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time from Coimbatore in 1998, with a massive margin at that time. He was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 1999.
Radhakrsihnan, the VP candidate of the BJP, served as the State President of the saffron party in Tamil Nadu between 2004 and 2007. As state party chief, he undertook a 19,000 km ‘Ratha Yatra’ that lasted for 93 days. He played a key role in spreading the message to link all Indian rivers, eradicating terrorism, implementing a uniform civil code, removing untouchability and combating the menace of narcotic drugs.
With a ground level connection to Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan is the man the BJP is planning to go behind for the elections in the southern state. Tamil Nadu will head to polls in April-May 2026, which is slightly more than six months. Hence, the messaging.
Radhakrishnan, as stated above, has been a politician with no controversy, a rare feat in today’s times. The BJP seems to be planning to make some inroads in the southern states as it does not have a good presence in any, especially after it lost Karnataka to Congress. If elected VP, the BJP will be able to project CP Radhakrishnan as an indirect pitch when it goes campaigning in Tamil Nadu.
Radhakrishnan’s many hats
Over forty years, CP Radhakrishnan served in many roles. During his tenure as an MP, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Textiles. He was also a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and the Consultative Committee for Finance. He was a member of the Parliamentary Special Committee investigating the Stock Exchange Scam.
In 2004, Radhakrishnan addressed the UN General Assembly as part of the Parliamentary Delegation. He was also a member of the first Parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.
On February 18, 2023, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the Governor of Jharkhand. Within his first four months, he travelled to all the 24 districts of Jharkhand, interacting with citizens and district officials.
In 2016, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Coir Board, Kochi, a position he held for four years. Under his leadership, coir exports from India reached an all-time high of Rs 2532 crores. From 2020 to 2022, he was the All India in Charge of BJP for Kerala.