Rajnath Singh speaks to Kharge, seeks Opposition support for NDA's VP candidate CP Radhakrishnan

New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday evening spoke to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to seek support for the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Vice Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan, sources said.
According to sources, the Vice Presidential election, scheduled for September 9, will be held under the supervision of Rajnath Singh on behalf of the NDA. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has been made the election agent, they added.
The NDA on Sunday named Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election. The announcement was made by BJP National President JP Nadda after the party's Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi.
BJP President Nadda said that the party would reach out to the Opposition to ensure a consensus and possibly an unopposed election.
"We will talk to the opposition as well. We should also get their support so that together we can ensure an unopposed election for the post of Vice President. As we said earlier, we have been in touch with them, and our senior leaders have contacted them earlier as well and even now, we will remain in touch with them, and all our NDA colleagues have supported us. CP Radhakrishnan is our NDA's candidate for Vice President," Nadda said while addressing a conference here.
Radhakrishnan is currently serving as the 24th Governor of Maharashtra, a post he assumed on July 31, 2024.
He earlier served as the Governor of Jharkhand from February 2023 to July 2024. He also held additional charge as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry between March and July 2024. A veteran BJP leader, Radhakrishnan, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore twice and previously served as the Tamil Nadu BJP State President. His political life started earlier with him being associated with organisations like the RSS and Jan Sangh, taking up student politics. Since then, he has used politics as a medium to serve the public. He has consistently shown a commitment towards national unity, social reform and public welfare, leading movements that addressed critical social and developmental challenges.
His political life started earlier with him taking up student politics. Since then, he has used politics as a medium to serve the public, with over four decades of serving people as a karyakarta. He won his first election from Coimbatore in 1998 with a margin of 1,50,000+ votes.
He later went on to serve as the Governor of Maharashtra. He initiated his political journey through the Jan Sangh at the age of 16 in 1974. In 1996, he became the secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. He was elected as MP from the Coimbatore parliamentary constituency in 1998, in which he won by a margin of 1,50,000+ votes, and was re-elected in 1999 from the same constituency.
In 2006, he was appointed as the state president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, during which he actively raised social and developmental issues. From 2016 to 2020, he served as the chairman of the Coir Board, under whose leadership the coir export of India reached an all-time high.
He also held the prestigious position of Governor for states like Jharkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra and Puducherry. He is regarded as eminent, knowledgeable and untainted by any legal accusations. He was born on 20 October 1957 in Tiruppur, Tiruppur district of Tamil Nadu. By profession, he is an agriculturist and industrialist. He completed his BBA from V.O.C. College, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu.
In his over four decades of experience serving the masses, he has held multiple posts. With proven leadership across diverse roles, C.P. Radhakrishnan brings rich political and administrative experience. As chairman of the Coir Board, he transformed India's coir sector, taking exports to a record Rs 2,532 crore.
In his tenure as Governor of Jharkhand, he travelled across all 24 districts within four months, directly engaging with citizens and officials to strengthen governance at the grassroots. He has also made significant contributions in tuberculosis eradication in Jharkhand, Puducherry and Maharashtra.
The Election Commission has announced that polling for the Vice Presidential election would take place on September 9, with counting of votes scheduled for the same day. The last date for filing nominations is August 21, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 25.
The post of Vice President fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, citing health reasons.
"To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," Dhankhar wrote in his resignation letter. (ANI)