CP Radhakrishnan Named VP Candidate as BJP Drops Dhankhar

CP Radhakrishnan: BJP’s Consensus Pick After Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Abrupt Exit.

A little over two years after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s elevation as Vice President, the BJP has chosen a successor who represents the opposite style and temperament. CP Radhakrishnan, a veteran with deep RSS and Jan Sangh roots, is being projected as a mellow, inclusive leader — a contrast to Mr Dhankhar’s sharp, confrontational image.

Dhankhar’s appointment in 2022 was a strategic nod to Jat farmers amid protests, reflecting the BJP’s outreach to agrarian communities. But his outspoken, legalistic style as Rajya Sabha Chairman turned him into a partisan figure for the Opposition, narrowing his political identity to a caste-regional base.

In contrast, Mr Radhakrishnan signals two clear messages: continued reliance on OBC social engineering and a renewed push into the South, where the BJP has struggled beyond Karnataka. His steady engagement in Tamil Nadu politics — from speaking out against Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma to tactfully navigating disputes with the DMK government — highlights his ability to combine ideological alignment with institutional restraint.

Unlike Mr Dhankhar, who often courted controversy with aggressive interventions, Mr Radhakrishnan is seen as a calmer presence suited for consensus-building in Parliament. His long-standing ties with the RSS, dating back to his teenage years, give him stronger ideological grounding than his predecessor, who was viewed as a pragmatic political choice rather than an insider.

Mr Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on Day 1 of the current Parliament session — officially attributed to health reasons but preceded by his acceptance of an Opposition-backed impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma without consulting the government — accelerated the shift.

By elevating Radhakrishnan, BJP appears to have recalibrated its approach: moving from Dhankhar’s combative persona to a leader seen as capable of balancing ideology with inclusiveness and ensuring smoother parliamentary functioning.