Final Up to date:August 18, 2025, 00:05 IST
A robust south Indian face for the BJP with a protracted RSS affiliation, Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan is a former Tamil Nadu unit chief and is seen as a Modi-Shah confidant
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur, Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan is a garment exporter and industrialist. (Picture: PTI/File)
Billed as a robust South Indian face for the BJP, Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan – the NDA’s vice-presidential candidate – is thought to have a protracted affiliation with the RSS.
Radhakrishnan, who’s a former Tamil Nadu BJP president, was nominated by his celebration’s parliamentary board on Sunday.
He’s seen as a confidant of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union House Minister Amit Shah. Having a clear picture and a robust grassroots join solely additional his case because the BJP continues its dogged pursuit of gaining floor deeper south, notably over Tamil Nadu and Kerala, that are scheduled to go polls subsequent yr.
Saying the nomination, BJP president JP Nadda mentioned the choice was made at a gathering chaired by Modi after an intensive deliberation. He mentioned Radhakrishnan is taken into account a statesman and instructions respect in all sections of society in Tamil Nadu.
The vice-presidential election, necessitated by the resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar final month, is scheduled for September 9. The final date for submitting nomination is August 22.
WHO IS CP RADHAKRISHNAN?
Born on October 20, 1957, in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur, CP Radhakrishnan is a garment exporter and industrialist, who pioneered knitwear exports from his birthplace. He belongs to the Gounder-Kongu Vellalar neighborhood, which is classed within the different backward courses (OBC).
If he turns into the vice-president, he would be the second from the OBC neighborhood to be President or vice-president, and the third vice-president from Tamil Nadu.
Radhakrishnan has a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration and began as an RSS swayamsevak on the age of 16, following which he grew to become a state government committee member of the Bharatiya Janasangh in 1974.
He was appointed the secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu in 1996 and elected to the Lok Sabha for the primary time from Coimbatore in 1998. He was re-elected in 1999; each occasions he gained with huge vote margins.
Between 2004 and 2007, he served because the Tamil Nadu BJP president. Throughout his stint, he undertook a 19,000-km ratha yatra that lasted for 93 days to focus on his calls for for the linking of all Indian rivers, eradicating terrorism, implementing a uniform civil code, eradicating untouchability and combating the menace of narcotic medicine. From 2020 to 2022, he was the all-India incharge of the BJP for Kerala.
Radhakrishnan was sworn in because the governor of Maharashtra on July 31, 2024. Earlier than that, he served because the governor of Jharkhand from 2023. Because the Jharkhand governor, he was appointed by the President to discharge the capabilities of the Telangana governor and because the lieutenant governor of Puducherry.
In 2004, he addressed the United Nations Common Meeting as a part of the parliamentary delegation. He was additionally a member of the primary parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.
In 2016, he was appointed because the chairman of the Coir Board, Kochi, a place he held for 4 years. Beneath his management, coir exports from India reached an all-time excessive of Rs 2,532 crore.
An avid sportsperson, Radhakrishnan was a university champion in desk tennis and a long-distance runner. He additionally loved cricket and volleyball. He has travelled far and broad, having visited international locations like america, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Turkey, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Egypt, UAE, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Japan.
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