NEW DELHI: Maharashtra governor and senior BJP leader CP Radhakrishnan, who started his political journey as an RSS swayamsevak, was on Sunday named the NDA’s candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.The announcement was made by BJP national president and Union Minister JP Nadda, following the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21 citing health reasons.Dhankhar, 74, stepped down midway through his term, just two years after taking office in August 2022. His tenure was marked by frequent run-ins with the opposition, including an unprecedented but unsuccessful impeachment attempt.
Who is CP Radhakrishnan?
- Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan began his public life as an RSS swayamsevak and rose to become a State Executive Committee member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.
- A two-time Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore (1998 and 1999), Radhakrishnan held key parliamentary roles, including Chairman of the Standing Committee on Textiles and member of committees on PSUs and Finance.
- He was also part of a parliamentary delegation to the UN General Assembly (2004) and the first Indian delegation to Taiwan.
- In Tamil Nadu, he rose to prominence as the state BJP president (2004–2007), during which he undertook a massive 19,000 km, 93-day ‘Ratha Yatra’.
- Radhakrishnan also made a mark in public administration. As Chairman of the Coir Board (2016–2020), he oversaw record exports worth Rs 2,532 crore.
- He later served as the BJP’s All India in-charge for Kerala (2020–2022).
- In 2023, he was appointed Governor of Jharkhand, where within his first four months, he travelled to all the 24 districts, interacting with citizens and district officials.
- In July 2024, he took charge as Governor of Maharashtra, and had earlier been given additional responsibilities as Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry.
- With over four decades of experience in politics and governance, CP Radhakrishnan is widely seen as a seasoned leader with deep roots in Tamil Nadu’s polity and the BJP’s organisational structure.