PM Modi, flanked by NDA's vice presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan, BJP National President and Union Minister JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others, hands over four sets of nomination papers to the returning officer. Photo: PTI
V-P election: CP Radhakrishnan, accompanied by Modi, NDA leaders, files nomination
The NDA candidate submitted his papers on Wednesday, accompanied by PM Modi, Union Ministers, and senior leaders. The election will be held on September 9
CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA's Vice Presidential candidate, filed his nomination on Wednesday (August 20). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, M Thambidurai, Chirag Paswan, Rajiv Ranjan Singh Lalan and several other senior NDA leaders and ministers accompanied him.
The Vice Presidential election will be held on September 9, and the last date for filing nomination is August 21. The election was necessitated by incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation last month.
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Selection Process
BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda announced the unanimous decision after comprehensive discussions regarding potential candidates. The Parliamentary Board evaluated all aspects of the selection process and sought suggestions from various stakeholders before finalising Radhakrishnan's nomination.
Nadda had expressed optimism about cross-party support, stating his hope that all opposition parties would back the candidate and enable a unanimous election.
Also Read: Why CP Radhakrishnan ticked many boxes as NDA's V-P candidate
Constitutional experience
CP Radhakrishnan brings decades of constitutional and political experience. Currently serving as Maharashtra Governor since July 2024, he has demonstrated administrative competence in India's second-most populous state. His gubernatorial portfolio includes previous tenures in Jharkhand and Telangana, providing him with diverse regional administrative experience.
His parliamentary career includes two successful terms representing Coimbatore constituency in the Lok Sabha, winning elections in 1998 and 1999 as a BJP candidate. Beyond electoral politics, he served as Tamil Nadu BJP president and held strategic responsibility for the party's Kerala operations, demonstrating organisational leadership capabilities.
Also Read: CP Radhakrishnan as V-P candidate: 'BJP continues to honour Tamils'
Ideological Foundation
Born in 1957 in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan's public service journey began as an RSS swayamsevak and active Bharatiya Janasangh member. His career trajectory exemplifies steady progression within the Sangh Parivar ecosystem, evolving from grassroots activism to constitutional positions.