C.P. Radhakrishnan, a veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Tamil Nadu and the Governor of Maharashtra, has been named the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for Vice-President of India, with the election scheduled for 9 September 2025 following Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation last month.
Media assessments describe him as a non-controversial, widely respected bridge-builder across parties — an image that also signals the BJP’s ambitions in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
Born in Tiruppur in 1957, Radhakrishnan studied business administration and entered public life early through the Jana Sangh/RSS ecosystem before rising in the BJP.
Party responsibilities included a stint as Tamil Nadu BJP state secretary in 1996 and later state president from 2004 to 2007, reflecting long-standing organisational roles and a foothold in western Tamil Nadu among OBC (Gounder) communities.
A two-term Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore, he won consecutive elections in 1998 and 1999 during a turbulent period for the city after the 1998 blasts.
His parliamentary record includes participation in committees such as Textiles and Public Undertakings, and an intervention at the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 — exposure that broadened his national profile beyond state politics.
Gubernatorial assignments have marked his recent career. Jharkhand saw him sworn in as Governor in February 2023, with additional charges of Telangana and the Lieutenant Governorship of Puducherry in March 2024.
Maharashtra became his next posting on 31 July 2024. Public engagements there — Assembly addresses, school visits and ceremonial duties — have reinforced a low-friction style, even as stakeholders drew him into sensitive matters such as petitions over the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill in July 2025.
Cross-party acceptability has been a recurring theme, with even rivals acknowledging his conciliatory persona.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi framed the nomination as recognition of service to the marginalised, praising Radhakrishnan’s “dedication, humility and intellect.” The nominee, for his part, thanked the leadership and pledged to serve the nation “till [his] last breath,” a promise consistent with a career that has spanned party organisation, Parliament and Raj Bhavan.
