RSS swayamsevak to Vice President: CP Radhakrishnan's political journey

CP Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader with RSS roots, has been elected Vice President after a career spanning grassroots activism, Parliament and gubernatorial roles across states

India elected a new Vice President on Tuesday — current Maharashtra Governor and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan.

 

A seasoned politician with deep roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Radhakrishnan has led a public life spanning grassroots activism, parliamentary responsibilities, and gubernatorial roles across several states.

 

He succeeds Jagdeep Dhankhar, who resigned unexpectedly on July 21 citing health concerns. His win makes him the third leader from Tamil Nadu to hold the post and the first Other Backward Class (OBC) leader from southern India elected to the office.

 

Early life and education

Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, Radhakrishnan earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration before entering student politics. An avid sportsperson in college, he excelled in table tennis, long-distance running, cricket and volleyball, according to PTI.

 

He belongs to the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community, which is socially influential and economically well-off in the state.

 

Political grounding in the RSS and Jan Sangh

At the age of 16, he joined the RSS as a swayamsevak. By 1974, he had become a member of the state executive committee of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the political precursor of the BJP. His steady rise in the organisation laid the foundation for his later prominence.

 

Rise in Tamil Nadu politics

After joining the BJP, Radhakrishnan gained organisational acceptance in Tamil Nadu. He became secretary of the state BJP unit in 1996 and served as its president from 2003 to 2006. During this period, he undertook a 93-day, 19,000-kilometre Rath Yatra to push causes aligned with the BJP and RSS, including river-linking projects, a uniform civil code, eradication of terrorism, efforts to end untouchability and measures to curb narcotics, according to PTI.

 

Parliamentary career under Vajpayee

Radhakrishnan entered national politics as a Lok Sabha member from Coimbatore during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s premiership and went on to serve a second term. He was nearly inducted into the Union Cabinet in 1998, but a nomenclatural mix-up saw the berth go instead to Pon Radhakrishnan, another BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, PTI reported.

 

Despite the setback, he built a reputation as a soft-spoken parliamentarian with incisive interventions. His clean record and non-confrontational approach earned him respect across party lines. At times, he was referred to as the “Vajpayee of Coimbatore” for his conciliatory style, according to Hindustan Times.

 

Governor across states

Radhakrishnan’s administrative career grew when the BJP-led government appointed him as a governor, a role he held in multiple states. He served as Governor of Jharkhand for nearly a year and a half, followed by additional responsibilities in Telangana and Puducherry. On July 31, 2024, he was sworn in as Governor of Maharashtra, a position he held until being nominated as the NDA’s candidate for the Vice Presidency.

 

Role ahead as Vice President

As Vice President, Radhakrishnan will serve as the ex-officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

 

Congratulating him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “His life has always been devoted to serving society and empowering the poor and marginalised. I am confident that he will be an outstanding VP, who will strengthen our Constitutional values and enhance Parliamentary discourse.”