Why CP Radhakrishnan ticked many boxes as NDA's V-P candidate

By picking CP Radhakrishnan as the vice-presidential candidate, the BJP is trying to send multiple messages, the intentions being both political and electoral.

Radhakrishnan — if he is elected, which is almost certain — will be the first Tamil person from a backward community to be honoured with the position. The two other Vice-Presidents from the state in the past — Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and R Venkataraman, both of whom went on to serve as the President of India as well — were Brahmins.

Also, he comes from the dominant “Kongu belt” of western Tamil Nadu, a state in which the BJP has long been trying to find a toehold.

But then, why Radhakrishnan?

Also read: DMK, Congress slam RSS ties of NDA's VP nominee; signal electoral contest

An ordinary politician

Radhakrishnan, though an RSS and Jana Sangh veteran, has never been seen as a remarkable politician. He dabbled a bit in state politics when the saffron party (then Jana Sangh) joined the Janata Party bandwagon in the 70s.

But he was always low-key, gentlemanly, spoke very little, and never got into any major controversies. It is well known in Tamil Nadu politics that he maintains a cordial relationship with almost all political parties and leaders, including those in the ruling DMK. He is not an aggressive community leader either.

The peak of his political career was in the late 1990s, winning the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency back-to-back in 1998 and 1999. Both the victories came on the back of an alliance with the AIADMK, then led by J Jayalalithaa.

Also read: CP Radhakrishnan as V-P candidate: 'BJP continues to honour Tamils'

Riding the riots

The 1998 elections were held in the aftermath of the “Coimbatore bombings” in which 58 people were killed and 200 injured. There were 12 blasts in 11 places, all within a 12-km radius — described as alleged “retaliation” by Islamist radicals against the killing of 18 Muslims in the 1997 communal riots in the city. Two Hindus were also killed in the disturbance.

The Hindu Munnani and Al-Ummah — representing radical Hindus and Muslims, respectively — fed on people’s fears, spreading hatred and violence. As the communal temperature soared, a first for the BJP, three of its candidates won in Tamil Nadu, one of them being Radhakrishnan.

Downward spiral

Riding that high, Radhakrishnan became the BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief in 2003, a post he held till 2006 — playing a crucial role in forging an alliance once again with Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK in 2004. But it failed to have the earlier result.

Radhakrishnan contested the 2004 and subsequently the 2014 and 2019 parliamentary elections, too, but unsuccessfully, and was finally sent off to Jharkhand as governor in 2023 and, a year later, to Maharashtra. He also briefly held additional charges of the lieutenant governor of Puducherry and the governor of Telangana.

Therefore, Radhakrishnan’s political career was seen as more or less over — until the surprise VP nomination came on Sunday.

So, what catapulted him to this position?

Also read: Who is CP Radhakrishnan, NDA’s Vice President candidate?

Right man at the right time

Political observers see Radhakrishanan as “the right man at the right time” for his continued climb in politics despite having no remarkable achievements under his belt.

He is neither seen as an RSS pick, nor someone with great clout in Tamil Nadu politics. His track as parliamentarian, too, was quite ordinary. Besides, he is not fluent in Hindi, which would be important for the smooth conduct of Rajya Sabha proceedings.

But his selection comes as the BJP licks its wounds over two controversial appointments — that of the late Satyapal Malick as the governor of Jammu and Kashmir and of Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Vice-President. Chastened by the latter’s sudden resignation, the BJP is trying to be more cautious and, therefore, bringing in a person who has no enemies, so to speak.

Unfailing loyalty

But the X factor? According to people close to Radhakrishanan, it is his unbridled “loyalty” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

An RSS leader recalled an incident dating back to 2002, when Modi was chief minister of Gujarat and was receiving a lot of flak for his handling of the riots in his home state. Then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had publicly rebuked him. While holding a press conference in Ahmedabad following the riots, a visibly upset Vajpayee had turned to Modi and reminded him of his “rajdharma.”

This was the time when Vajpayee and his number two, LK Advani, held diametrically opposite views on Modi. Unwilling to get into a controversy, many state BJP leaders started maintaining an arm’s length with Modi.

Also read: Not giving Dhankhar a farewell a sorry reflection on India’s public culture

But Radhakrishnan did the opposite. As an MP, he invited Modi to his constituency to address a public function at Coimbatore’s VOC Park and felicitated him. Modi, according to an RSS worker who is now part of the BJP, never forgot that “act of kindness”.

Man who speaks his mind

Another reason why Radhakrishnan is apparently held in high esteem by the BJP high command is his straightforwardness. Apparently, before the 2024 parliamentary elections, when then state party chief K Annamalai was asked to give his assessment, he painted a rosy picture and said BJP had prospects of winning nearly 10 seats. However, CP (as Radhakrishnan is popularly known) flatly said it was zero.

When the results came, his prediction proved to be true. His loyalty to the party was also tested when he refused to join the AIADMK during Jaya’s regime. Apparently, she personally took an interest in encouraging him to cross over, but he declined. This was at a time when the BJP, as a party, was at its lowest ebb.

Also read: Jairam Ramesh questions former VP Jagdeep Dhankhar's 'disappearance'

Some questions

However, a bigger question is whether CP can turn the tide in favour of the BJP in the forthcoming 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

Analysts say it is unlikely, as the support of the Kongu Velalars, the community to which he belongs, is already consolidated in favour of the party. Annamalai, BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan, and AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami, with whom the BJP has again tied up, all belong to the same community.

But can CP’s nomination trigger Tamil sentiments and force the Opposition to support his candidature? BJP state leaders have already begun to make moves, calling for support for the “son of the soil”. But it is unlikely to work, as the INDIA bloc intends to turn this into a contest.

Leaders of DMK and Congress have already rejected the proposal, saying they cannot support an “RSS person”. Since the NDA has the requisite strength, CP’s election as the Vice-President is a foregone conclusion. The question is regarding his margin of victory and, more importantly, whether he can climb further up to become the President of India.

At 67, age is on his side.