Pon Radhakrishnan is new Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises

The lone BJP MP from Tamil Nadu known for his closeness to Modi

Pon Radhakrishnan, the lone MP from Tamil Nadu who won on a BJP ticket, is the new Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

One of the factors that worked in Radhakrishnan's favour in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections among the electorate, especially the first-time voters, was the general feeling that he would get an influential portfolio if the BJP formed the government, due to his proximity to Modi. Voters felt he would be able to bring several infrastructure projects and investments to this region.

Apart from tourism, Kanyakumari and other places in the region have not seen much industrialisation.



Fondly called 'Ponnar' by the BJP party cadre, the 62-year old politician hails from a wealthy and eminent Nadar family from Alathankarai, Nagercoil. He contested on a BJP ticket from the Kanyakumari constituency.

Radhakrishnan is known for his closeness to BJP high command in Delhi, especially with Modi and former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who had appointed him Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the Cabinet headed by his Government between 1999 and 2004. Later, he also served as Minister of State for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.

Radhakrishnan's initiatives to establish a 'Youth Village' of the Sports Authority of India in Kanyakumari district was then well received by the public.



But his efforts never took off as suitable land for this ambitious project could not be identified then and hence the anxious wait continues.

A lawyer by profession, Radhakrishnan joined the Hindu Munnani, a right-wing organisation in the 1990s. In the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, he first won on a BJP ticket from Nagercoil. The party had won three other seats in the same elections.

Radhakrishnan lost the seat in 2004 and 2009.