Maharashtra Governor and NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan arrived in Delhi on Sunday to a grand reception at the airport.
He was greeted by Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Pralhad Joshi, Bhupender Yadav, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, along with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and several senior leaders.
The arrival follows BJP National President JP Nadda’s announcement of Radhakrishnan as the ruling alliance’s candidate for the Vice Presidential elections, scheduled for September 9. The decision was taken unanimously by the BJP parliamentary board in consultation with alliance partners and, as sources suggest, after discussions with opposition parties to ensure a smooth election process.
Currently serving as the 24th Governor of Maharashtra since July 31, 2024, Radhakrishnan earlier held the governorship of Jharkhand (Feb 2023–July 2024) and also briefly carried additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry. A veteran BJP leader, he has been elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore and has served as the Tamil Nadu BJP State President.
However, the Congress criticized the NDA’s choice, dismissing Radhakrishnan as “another RSS man.”
The Vice Presidential post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, the opening day of the Parliament’s monsoon session, citing health reasons.
The Vice President is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament. The election is conducted under Articles 64, 66, and 68 of the Constitution, following the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and secret ballot, as mandated by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.
