Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday strongly backed the NDA’s choice of Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice Presidential candidate, describing the decision as a “natural” one to ensure regional balance in the country’s top leadership.
Speaking to ANI, Shah noted that while the President hails from the East and the Prime Minister represents the North and West, it was fitting for the Vice President to come from the South.
“It was natural that the Vice Presidential candidate comes from South India because the President is from East India and the Prime Minister is from the West and North,” Shah said.
Rejecting suggestions that Radhakrishnan’s nomination was aimed at strengthening the BJP’s presence in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, Shah said political motives should not be over-read into the decision.
“We have contested elections in Tamil Nadu with allies earlier and have also won seats. If we name someone from any region, such questions will always be raised,” he remarked.
Highlighting Radhakrishnan’s career, Shah described him as a seasoned politician with a clean public record.
“He has been a two-time MP, Tamil Nadu BJP president, and Governor of multiple states including Jharkhand, Telangana, and now Maharashtra. He is mature, experienced, and has led a clean life in public service,” Shah said.
On being asked about Radhakrishnan’s lifelong association with the RSS, Shah dismissed criticism, pointing out that many top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and LK Advani, had similar ideological roots.
“Is it a minus point to have a connection with RSS? People have elected us despite this association. It should not be seen as a drawback,” he asserted.
Radhakrishnan, who filed his nomination on August 20 in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and senior NDA leaders, has had a long political journey dating back to his early years with the RSS and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Born in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, in 1957, he later became a two-time MP from Coimbatore.
The Vice-Presidential election is scheduled for September 9, with counting to take place the same day.
