Rooted in RSS ideology, NDA nominee known to be affable

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) nominee for the upcoming vice-presidential elections, was picked after detailed discussions with alliance partners, and the party’s ideological fount, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), people familiar with the details said on Sunday.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The 68-year-old BIP leader who is rooted in RSS ideology is known in the party asa soft-spoken, noncontroversial figure, who is also the only BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, to have been elected to the Lok Sabha twice in 1998 and 1999.

Currently the governor of Maharashtra, a position he has held since July 31, 2024, Radhakrishnan, an OBC from the Goundar-Kongu Vellalar community, was born in Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, where he wenton to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration.

People close to Raj Bhavan said the Maharashtra governor was sounded out about his possible candidature on Sunday afternoon, after which he paid a visit to the famous Siddhivinayak temple to seek blessings of the deity.