New DelhiAug 17, 2025 20:34 IST
First published on: Aug 17, 2025 at 20:23 IST
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Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan, picked as the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate on Sunday, made his mark in Tamil Nadu BJP as a results-driven, straightforward, and “clean” leader.
An RSS member from the young age of 16 — at an event in 2023, he described himself as “a proud RSS cadre” — he won two Lok Sabha elections from Coimbatore as a BJP candidate, in 1998 and 1999, the first time with the highest victory margin in the state in polls held soon after the bomb blasts in the town allegedly meant to target L K Advani. Radhakrishnan served as a BJP National Executive member and Tamil Nadu president from 2004 to 2007 and in recent years has served as the governor of Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Radhakrishnan’s Raj Bhavan tenure in Ranchi was eventful, though he commented once that governors should remain free from politics. Soon after taking over, he raised eyebrows for undertaking a tour of the state, while insisting that he wanted to act as a bridge between the state and the Centre. He often asserted that his main focus was to improve the lives of tribals and underprivileged communities in Jharkhand, and in a rather political message, told The Indian Express in an interview, that tribals should be kept out of a Uniform Civil Code.
When there was a growing shadow of Central agencies over Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Radhakrishnan’s role came under focus. Asked about why the Election Commission opinion on Soren regarding the issue of mining lease to him continued to remain sealed, Radhakrishnan said persons who are found guilty will have to face consequences. He had also hinted at “difficulties” in revealing the same, without specifying.
When DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin spoke about “annihilation of Sanatan Dharma”, Radhakrishnan waded in, referring to him as “a child” from Tamil Nadu, and said those who try to destroy Sanatan Dharma would perish by their own act.
In July 2024, Radhakrishnan was appointed the governor of Maharashtra.