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CP Radhakrishnan, Governor of Maharastra, is BJP’s next  Vice President candidate 

  • Md Nasimuddin
    • It is almost final that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in West Bengal on August 22 to attend two programmes, one administrative and one political. The administrative programme will be the inauguration of three new city metro railway routes, namely Noapara to Jai Hind Airport Station, Ruby to Beliaghata, and Esplanade to Sealdah. After the administrative programme, PM Modi is scheduled to address a political rally organised by the West Bengal unit of BJP at Dum Dum in North 24th Parganas district. “Initially, the Dum Dum rally was scheduled on August 20. However, since the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament will continue till August 21, the Prime Minister will be busy in New Delhi till that date. So a fresh proposal was sent from the Bengal unit of the BJP to fix August 22 as the date of the Dum Dum rally. Now, unless there is a last-minute change, the Prime Minister's programmes on August 22 are final,” said a state committee member of the party The West Bengal unit of BJP has presented a plan to the party's central leadership for five public meetings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state during the remaining five months of the calendar year of 2025, which will mean one meeting per month by the Prime Minister during that period. A mega rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Central Kolkata is planned to organise in January next year, which will also be attended by the Prime Minister. The state committee insider further said that the locations of the proposed public meeting of the Prime Minister for the remaining months of the current calendar year will be planned in such a manner that major parts of both South Bengal and North Bengal could be covered. As per the plan, the meetings will be planned at locations at junctures of two or more districts. Already, the Prime Minister had addressed two public meetings in West Bengal so far this year, the first being in May at Alipurduar in North Bengal and the second being at the industrial township of Durgapur in West Burdwan district in South Bengal in July. From both the past meetings, the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack on the West Bengal government and the ruling Congress government, pointing out various issues like rampant corruption, rise in crime against women in the state, and frequent communal tension and riot-like situations in minority-dominated pockets in the state.

    It is almost final that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in West Bengal on August 22 to attend two programmes, one administrative and one political. The administrative programme will be the inauguration of three new city metro railway routes, namely Noapara to Jai Hind Airport Station, Ruby to Beliaghata, and Esplanade to Sealdah. After the administrative programme, PM Modi is scheduled to address a political rally organised by the West Bengal unit of BJP at Dum Dum in North 24th Parganas district. “Initially, the Dum Dum rally was scheduled on August 20. However, since the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament will continue till August 21, the Prime Minister will be busy in New Delhi till that date. So a fresh proposal was sent from the Bengal unit of the BJP to fix August 22 as the date of the Dum Dum rally. Now, unless there is a last-minute change, the Prime Minister's programmes on August 22 are final,” said a state committee member of the party The West Bengal unit of BJP has presented a plan to the party's central leadership for five public meetings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state during the remaining five months of the calendar year of 2025, which will mean one meeting per month by the Prime Minister during that period. A mega rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Central Kolkata is planned to organise in January next year, which will also be attended by the Prime Minister. The state committee insider further said that the locations of the proposed public meeting of the Prime Minister for the remaining months of the current calendar year will be planned in such a manner that major parts of both South Bengal and North Bengal could be covered. As per the plan, the meetings will be planned at locations at junctures of two or more districts. Already, the Prime Minister had addressed two public meetings in West Bengal so far this year, the first being in May at Alipurduar in North Bengal and the second being at the industrial township of Durgapur in West Burdwan district in South Bengal in July. From both the past meetings, the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack on the West Bengal government and the ruling Congress government, pointing out various issues like rampant corruption, rise in crime against women in the state, and frequent communal tension and riot-like situations in minority-dominated pockets in the state.

    Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, 67, a veteran BJP leader and lifelong RSS swayamsevak, is poised to become India’s Vice-President making him the third Tamil Nadu-born leader to occupy the nation’s second-highest constitutional office. He follows in the footsteps of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1952–57) and R Venkataraman (1984–87), both of whom later rose to the presidency. 

    On Sunday, the BJP announced Radhakrishnan as the-ruling NDA’s candidate for the September 9 vice-presidential elections. 

    Born on October 20, 1957, in Tiruppur — the “knitwear capital of India” in Tamil Nadu’s Kongu belt — Radhakrishnan was drawn to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) early. At just 17, he joined the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the political forerunner to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

    A founding foot soldier of the BJP since its inception in 1980, Radhakrishnan has held multiple key roles in the party’s Tamil Nadu unit, including State President (2004–07). His 19,000-km, 93-day Rath Yatra across Tamil Nadu during this period spotlighted issues ranging from river-linking and counter-terrorism to social reform and anti-drug campaigns. He later led two more padayatras for separate causes. 

    Radhakrishnan entered Parliament from Coimbatore in 1998 and retained the seat in 1999. He contested the same constituency multiple times, finishing strong even in 2014 — when the BJP went solo, with nearly 3.9 lakh votes. During his time in Parliament, he served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Textiles and was a member of panels on PSUs, finance, and the stock exchange scam. 

    Beyond politics, Radhakrishnan holds a BBA and made his mark as an entrepreneur. Between 1985 and 1998, he pioneered the export of 100% cotton knitted fabric to Bangladesh and developed textile links with countries across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. 

    In administrative roles, he was Chairman of the Coir Board (2016–2020) and later BJP’s Kerala in-charge (2020–22). His appointment as Governor of Jharkhand in February 2023 marked a transition from party politics to constitutional office. In his first four months as governor, Radhakrishnan toured all 24 districts. He briefly held additional charges as Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry. Since July 2024, he has been Governor of Maharashtra. 

    Known for his grassroots connect and political adaptability, Radhakrishnan has maintained cordial relations across party lines including recent gestures such as visiting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to inquire about his health. 

    Though he has remained outspoken on national issues, Radhakrishnan ruled out any return to active politics. “An advocate after becoming a judge cannot go back to being an advocate… I don’t think about returning to active politics,” he said in a recent interview, drawing a parallel with his gubernatorial responsibilities. 

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