Behind The News is your round up of musings from the corridors of power. BJP insiders told South First that Radhakrishnan is certainly being considered for a key post, though they stopped short of confirming whether it would be the Vice President’s position.
Published Jul 25, 2025 | 12:18 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 25, 2025 | 12:18 PM
CP Radhakrishnan.
Synopsis: CP Radhakrishnan, a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and the current Governor of Maharashtra, is reportedly being considered for the post of Vice President of India.
Jagdeep Dhankhar, who served as the Vice President of India and also as the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, recently stepped down from his post citing health reasons. His sudden resignation has stirred speculation in New Delhi over who will be chosen to fill the now-vacant constitutional position.
Even though the Vice President is elected through a formal voting process, the ruling party’s nominee typically secures the post. This has led to intense curiosity regarding the BJP’s nominee. Among the names doing the rounds is that of CP Radhakrishnan, a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, who is the Governor of Maharashtra.
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, a native of Tiruppur, has been a long-time political leader of the BJP and an early member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He played a significant role in building the party’s presence in Tamil Nadu. From 2004 to 2007, he served as the BJP’s Tamil Nadu state president.
Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Coimbatore — in 1998, and again in 1999 in the aftermath of the Coimbatore bomb blasts. During his parliamentary tenure, he was a member and chairperson of several parliamentary committees. However, he could not secure victory in any subsequent parliamentary elections he contested.
In 2023, he was appointed as the Governor of Jharkhand. Later, in March 2024, when Tamilisai Soundararajan stepped down as the Governor of Telangana and the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry to contest the parliamentary elections, Radhakrishnan was given additional charge of those two roles as well.
Three months later, in July 2024, he was appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra. In less than two years, Radhakrishnan has been assigned gubernatorial responsibilities in more than three states — a rare occurrence.
With the Vice President’s post now vacant, BJP sources suggest that Radhakrishnan could be considered for the role. Lending weight to this speculation is the fact that he has been camping in Delhi for the past few days.
When asked, BJP insiders told South First that Radhakrishnan is certainly being considered for a key post, though they stopped short of confirming whether it would be the Vice President’s position.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
