The Bharatiya Janata Party announced on Sunday that Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan’s nomination to the NDA as a candidate for the office of Vice President scheduled for September 9, 2025. The decision came at the conclusion of the BJP’s parliamentary board meeting, at which the senior members of the party voted as a unified body on Radhakrishnan’s name based on his long history of political involvement and commitment to public service.
BJP President JP Nadda, while making the announcement, said, “Shri CP Radhakrishnan ji ne apni poori zindagi jan seva ke liye samarpit ki hai. Unki imaandari aur pratiyogita unhe desh ka uchit pratinidhi banati hai.” He emphasized that Radhakrishnan’s vast administrative experience would help in upholding the dignity of Parliament.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah too welcomed the decision, stating, “Bharat ke Uparashtrapati ka daayitva samvidhan ki maryada ko banaye rakhna hai. Radhakrishnan ji ka rajneetik safar aur unka yogdan ise sabit karta hai ki woh is pad ke liye sarvottam chayan hain.”
CP Radhakrishnan was born in Tamil Nadu and is a two-time MP from Coimbatore and a former BJP President and union minister. He had also previously held important appointments as the Governor of Jharkhand, Telangana, and later Maharashtra, and is well-regarded by supporters and foes alike for being calm and balanced. Radhakrishnan’s nomination is seen as another effort by the BJP to consolidate its grip on the south of India, specifically in Tamil Nadu, where the party is trying to strengthen its political base.
The opposition bloc INDIA is likely to announce their own candidate, however, political observers say that based on the NDA total numbers in Parliament, Radhakrishnan should comfortably win. The Vice President is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, of which the NDA has a clear majority.
If Radhakrishnan wins he will succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar as the 15th Vice President of India, a role that assists in regulations of the Rajya Sabha and ensures that the constitutional route of the country works smoothly.
