Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, 67, a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, has been officially named the party’s candidate for Vice President, announced by BJP president JP Nadda at a press conference on Sunday.

Known for his long and varied political career, Radhakrishnan has held key positions both in electoral politics and constitutional offices.

He currently serves as the Governor of Maharashtra, having taken charge in July 2024. Prior to this, he served as the Governor of Jharkhand from February 2023 to July 2024 and held additional charges as Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry between March and July 2024.

Early life

Radhakrishnan’s political journey began at a young age, when he joined the RSS and Jan Sangh at 16. He has been elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, in 1998 and 1999, and served as BJP Tamil Nadu state president from 2004 to 2007. During his tenure, he conducted a 93-day rath yatra across Tamil Nadu advocating river-linking, anti-terrorism campaigns, and social equality initiatives.

In addition to his legislative roles, Radhakrishnan has represented India on international platforms. He was part of the parliamentary delegation to the United Nations in 2004 and addressed the 58th session of the UN General Assembly, highlighting humanitarian and disaster relief coordination. He was also part of India’s first parliamentary delegation to Taiwan in 2014.

Radhakrishnan has held administrative and advisory positions, including chairman of the All India Coir Board under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (2016–2020) and membership in various parliamentary committees for public sector undertakings and finance. He was also BJP Prabhari for Kerala from 2020 to 2022.

With decades of experience in grassroots organising, electoral politics, and governance, Radhakrishnan is considered one of the most senior and influential BJP leaders from South India. His organisational skills and leadership earned him the nickname “Modi of Tamil Nadu.”

An avid sportsperson, Shri Radhakrishnan excelled in college as a table tennis champion and long-distance runner, and also actively enjoyed cricket and volleyball.