Rooted in RSS ideology, NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan known to be affable

CHandrapuram Ponnusamy sir sarvepalli radhakrishnan, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led subject popular confederation’s nominee for the upcoming vice-presidential elections, was picked after elaborated discussions with alliance partners, and the party’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), people familiar with the details said on Sunday.The 68-year-old BJP leader who is rooted in the RSS ideology is known in the party as a soft-spoken, non-controversial figure, who is also the only BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, to have been elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999.Currently the governor of Maharashtra, a position he has held since July 31, 2024, Radhakrishnan, an OBC from the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar community, was born in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, where he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration.People close to Raj Bhavan said the Maharashtra governor was sounded out about his possible candidature on Sunday afternoon, after which he paid a visit to the famous Siddhivinayak temple to seek blessings of the deity.Having cut his teeth in public life as an RSS Swayamsevak, he rose to become the state executive committee member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974. His colleagues said his affability and ability to steer the party without conflict and controversy were the reasons why he was picked to head the state unit in 2004.Party leaders welcomed his nomination, describing him as an “excellent choice for the role”, because of his “pragmatic, straightforward and clean image”.Although as governor of Jharkhand between February 2023 and July 2024, he locked horns with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha government over a host of issues, particularly concerning the tribal communities, his gubernatorial stint was not as combative as those of other BJP governors in non-NDA-ruled states or even his predecessor Ramesh Bais in Jharkhand or Bhagat Singh Koshyari in Maharashtra.A table tennis player and a long-distance runner, Radhakrishnan’s elevation as governor in 2023 was seen as the party’s attempt to create a new political order in the state unit. A man with friendly ties across the political divide, he was also called the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore”, for his conciliatory politics. But with the rise of K Annamalai, there was a stir in the party unit, which was attributed to testy relations between the old order and the young crop.The differences came to the fore when Radhakrishnan and Annamalai took a divergent stance on the issue of calling a bandh in Coimbatore against the ruling DMK. While Radhakrishnan gave the call for a bandh, the legal counsel for Annamalai told the Madras high court that no such announcement was made.His nomination for the VP’s post is also being read as the party’s attempts to strengthen its outreach and footprint in the southern region, particularly in Tamil Nadu where elections are due in 2026. His stint as a parliamentarian, his dyed in the wool RSS credentials and cordial ties with leaders across the political spectrum are seen as attributes that would help him steer the House of Elders as chairman.Although the NDA’s strength in the Upper House is 132 members (of 240) and the alliance is expected to win the polls comfortably, the BJP is hopeful that the nominee will get support from other parties that are not part of the opposition’s INDIA bloc.In an interview with Sansad TV, Radhakrishnan earlier said he never developed enmity with anyone in his political career and moved along with everyone.“Some things you don’t like can be avoided silently. That was my earlier day character. There was a bomb blast in Coimbatore. I was against the terrorist but not against Muslims. When some Muslims approached me, I went to the police and said that they must arrest only those who are connected with the blast. No one expected this. That’s why I am called the Vajpayee of Coimbatore,” he said in the interview.