Poonam I Kaushish

Finally, the suspense is over. The old order is giving way to the new. After much dilly-dallying pouring over various nominations amidst various caste-State credentials, BJP-led NDA picked Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, one of BJP’s tallest leaders in Tamil Nadu with 40-year experience in politics wearing many hats and twice-over Coimbatore MP, as its Vice Presidential (VP) candidate, the second highest Constitution position in the country following the sudden and controversial resignation of Dhankar for 9 September election.

The first RSS pedigreed RSS-Jan Sangh incumbent for a Constitutional post with strong ideological moorings, Radhakrishnan  does not carry any political baggage and is seen as a mellow, inclusive person who will build consensus and statesmanship given his amiable soft-spoken personality with friends across Party lines.

Besides, he is said to be familiar with Modi’s working style. In Maharashtra his interventions were centered around institutional experience and ideological alignment and he has spoken against Stalin’s son’s comments on Santana Dharma, dismissing him as a child.

Undeniably, BJP has made a calculated move that blends hard electoral arithmetic with a deeper regional strategy. Radhakrishnan nomination is not merely a reward for loyalty but a clever choice — it signals the Party’s renewed push to penetrate the not-so-favourable political terrain of South India, expand its footprint in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Kerala where it has historically struggled to gain traction.

The 68-year old incumbent VP signals reliance on OBC social engineering and though BJP on its own has a limited vote share in the State that fiercely resists its Hindi-Hindutva ideological push, the Party hopes to send a signal to the people and do better in an alliance with AIADMK in next year’s election in Tamil Nadu.

Though the OBC Gounder caste credentials of Radhakrishnan are not going to be a big element in Tamil Nadu as Dravidian politics are centred around marginalised castes and social justice, it would certainly further the BJP’s inclusive Hindutva narrative in the North, where the Mandalisation of politics is a big factor.

Southern States are also complaining of political marginalisation and economic discrimination, a trust deficit that is expected to widen with the ensuing delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies. BJP, therefore, is attempting to court voters in South India with such symbolic gestures like choosing the VP nominee from the region.

Undoubtedly, Radhakrishnan’s canditure is a googly for the Dravidian parties – the ruling DMK and Opposition AIADMK, both which have so far kept a firm grip on the State. A politics that challenges mainstream North Indian Hindi political rhetoric. The Hindutva Brigade’s move to introduce a three-language curriculum has put the Party in a particularly dubious position in Tamil Nadu, where Chief Minister Stalin is spearheading the agitation against what it calls “Hindi imposition.”

While AIADMK calls it a “strategic and clever move which shows BJP’s inclusive attitude.” But asked whether the VP’s choice would change electoral realities in Tamil Nadu, it averred it could be “another way of giving a checkmate to those people who try to play the part of divisive politics, peddling fake narratives and fake news peddlers from the DMK.”

DMK with 32 MPs and being Tamil Nadu’s largest party faces a dilemma: Should it support its State’s candidate, especially since State elections are due next year? On the face of it, the Party welcomes the move. He is a Tamilian and if elected Radhakrishnan will become the third leader from the State to be Vice President.

But added its pet peeve, projecting a Tamilian is not pro-Tamil Nadu. Said a senior leader, “Representation of South in Central Government is lacking.  We expect him to be more fair in Rajya Sabha if he gets elected… Centre is not giving proper funds, even for education, they are not supporting Tamil Nadu in everything.”

BJP hopes to split INDIA bloc ranks as in the past, Presidential and VP regional sentiments had triggered cross-alliance and cross-Party voting. Opposition circles are a buzz whether DMK and its allies can withstand the eminent BJP push to add “Tamil pride” to Radhakrishnan’s candidature. As rival DMK plays to the gallery.

Predictably, this has put Opposition INDIA bloc in a dilemma which is holding its cards close to its chests though Tamilian MPs aver the bloc is likely to pick DMK’s Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva as its candidate, in a strategic move that would pit one senior Tamil Nadu politician against another in the upcoming election and overcome the key hurdle posed by regional politics. Or ISRO scientist Annaduria.

Either way it matters little as NDA has the numbers. With Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha strength standing at 786, the NDA’s with its combined strength of 422 MPs is above the majority mark of 394 required to win. Parties like BJD, YSRCP, and BRS which together hold 22 MPs, might back the NDA.

Despite this, the Opposition avers its candidate is to underscore democratic principles and unity within its ranks ahead of crucial elections in Bihar later this year and Bengal and Tamil Nadu in 2026.

Yet BJP is leaving nothing to chance. Recall, when Congress-led UPA nominated Pranab Mukherjee both Mamta’s TMC and CPM-CPI backed him amid excitement about the first Bengali becoming President. Similarly, when Congress fielded Pratibha Patil for the top post Shiv Sena, despite being part of NDA supported her due to their shared Maharashtra roots.

When BJP-led NDA nominated Kovind, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U)  in spite of then being in the Opposition supported him because he was Bihar Governor. Vajpayee-led NDA’s Presidential candidate APJ Kalam got Congress and Akhilesh’s Samajwadi support due to their competitive enthusiasm for a Muslim President. Indira Gandhi’s named Zail Singh as Congress candidate,  arch rival Akali Dal backed him as  first Sikh  elected to the country’s highest post.

In the last election, when NDA nominated Dhankhar for VP,  TMC abstained from voting as Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata often had many acrimonious exchanges. That Party whips don’t apply in these elections makes it more flexible resulting in many Opposition parties suffering cross-voting. 

With Radhakrishnan BJP hopes he will calm storms in the Rajya Sabha as the VP is also the Chairman of the House. Also, post its experience with erstwhile Dhankar seen by Opposition as an incumbent who not only ended the impartiality of the post, but was a tough enforcer against whom an impeachment motion was brought in Rajya Sabha, the BJP has found a successor as different as chalk to cheese.

Though both are OBCs, Dhankar was seen as an outsider who was vocal, aggressive, impulsive with a penchant for controversies, a far cry from Radhakrishnan a non-controversial, affable and strategic pan-south Indian whose temperament fits the Constitutional post better, a signal that Rajya Sabha needs balance, not aggression. BJP feels he will serve without upsetting Opposition too much, all the more important given the turbulence in politics and Parliament.

Succinctly, Radhakrishnan has to place himself in a judge’s position, not become partisan so as to avoid unconscious bias for or against a particular view thus inspiring confidence in all sections of society and Rajya Sabha about his integrity and impartiality. Consequently, in this “battle of ideologies” he would do well to spotlight the serious decline in public standards of morality, honesty and integrity, vital to the healthy growth of India’s democracy. —- INFA

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