NDA’s C.P. Radhakrishnan Files Vice-Presidential Nomination
PM Modi, Shah Lead Support for Certain Victory
C.P. Radhakrishnan, the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate for India’s Vice-Presidential election, formally filed his nomination papers in New Delhi, accompanied by a high-powered entourage including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior NDA leaders.
The submission, made to Rajya Sabha Secretary General P.C. Mody, the returning officer, included four sets of nomination papers with Modi, Singh, Shah, and JD(U) leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh as lead proposers. After scrutiny, Radhakrishnan signed the register, and Mody issued an acknowledgment slip to Modi.
The event, attended by Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Dharmendra Pradhan, TDP’s K. Ram Mohan Naidu, Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde, and LJPSP’s Chirag Paswan, underscored the NDA’s unified support. Earlier that day, Radhakrishnan paid tributes at Prerna Sthal in the Parliament complex, bowing before Mahatma Gandhi’s statue and honoring other iconic figures. With the NDA’s commanding majority in the electoral college of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, Radhakrishnan’s election on September 9, 2025, is considered a foregone conclusion.
The Maharashtra Governor and former Coimbatore MP, announced as the NDA’s pick on August 17, has been lauded by Modi for his “dedication, humility, and intellect.” His nomination, backed by allies like YSRCP and TDP, follows Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation on July 21, 2025, and is seen as a strategic move to bolster the BJP’s influence in Tamil Nadu ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
The opposition INDIA bloc has yet to confirm a candidate, with DMK’s Tiruchi Siva denying speculation about his candidacy.
