A day after being announced as NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate, Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, even as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached out to Opposition leaders to garner wider support for Radhakrishnan’s candidacy.
In a post on X after the meeting, PM Modi wrote, “Met Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji. Conveyed my best wishes on his being the NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee. His long years of public service and experience across domains will greatly enrich our nation. May he continue to serve the nation with the same dedication and resolve he has always demonstrated. @CPRGuv”.
The NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee also posted about the meeting on X, saying, “Blessed and honoured to meet our beloved people’s leader, our most respected Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji today in New Delhi.”
According to sources, the Vice Presidential election will be held under the supervision of Rajnath Singh on behalf of the NDA on September 9. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has been made the election agent, the sources added.
Meanwhile, Rajnath reached out to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin over the phone, seeking the support of the DMK for the National Democratic Alliance candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan in the upcoming Vice-Presidential polls.
Rajnath, who has been entrusted by the BJP leadership to coordinate with key opposition leaders, spoke to Stalin as part of the NDA’s efforts to ensure a smooth and broad-based election of Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu.
The party sources said the call was cordial, with Rajnath Singh briefing Stalin about Radhakrishnan’s long political career and his contributions as a parliamentarian and Governor.
The sources said that to build consensus on NDA’s vice president nominee, Rajnath Singh has called several Opposition leaders, including senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik over phone to seek their support for Radhakrishnan.
The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday evening also spoke to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to seek support for the National Democratic Alliance’s Vice Presidential candidate, sources said.
The BJP-led NDA on Sunday evening named Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election. The poll was necessitated after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down on July 21, citing health issues, and tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu.
The NDA, which holds a majority in the electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament, is expected to have a decisive say in the outcome.
The numbers, however, appear tilted in favour of the NDA. The Electoral College, consisting of 786 members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, requires 394 votes for a simple majority.
With 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, alongside the backing of nominated members, the NDA controls around 422 votes — a comfortable edge.
The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, has about 300 MPs across both Houses. Even with a united front, the contest would be narrower than in previous elections.
Earlier on Monday, the BJP congratulated Radhakrishnan on his nomination and thanked PM Modi for choosing a candidate from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar welcomed the BJP’s decision to nominate Radhakrishnan, stating in a post on X: “The decision to make Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan the NDA candidate for the post of Vice President is welcome. JD-U will support C.P. Radhakrishnan. Best wishes to him.”
Radhakrishnan who is 67-year-old has served two terms in the Lok Sabha representing Coimbatore and is currently serving as the Governor of Maharashtra. Known for his decades-long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP, Radhakrishnan is regarded as a grassroots leader with strong organisational acumen and a reputation for integrity.