Loyalist Installed

The election of C.P. Radhakrishnan as India’s 15th Vice-President comes as less a surprise than a calculated consolidation of political control. The Maharashtra Governor, a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu and a veteran of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 452 of the 767 votes cast, comfortably defeating the INDIA bloc’s candidate, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, who garnered 300 votes. Beyond the arithmetic, the results reveal fissures within the Opposition, namely cross-voting by some MPs which underscores the fragility of the Opposition bloc.

The circumstances of the contest were unusual. Jagdeep Dhankhar’s abrupt resignation in July, citing health concerns, left the office unexpectedly vacant on the first day of the Monsoon Session. Dhankar’s last days proved a major embarrassment for the BJP. It was the second such sting for the ruling party in a decade over high-profile appointments - the first being Satyapal Malik, whose tenure as Governor devolved into open criticism of the government. In contrast, Radhakrishnan’s ascent represents a careful correction. Rather than ‘importing’ a figure from outside the party fold, the BJP has installed a loyalist with deep roots in its ideological ecosystem.

Radhakrishnan’s profile is emblematic of the BJP’s current strategy. At 68, he combines parliamentary experience with an untainted public image. His political journey stretches back to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, where he became involved at the age of 16, and through the BharatiyaJanasangh, the BJP’s predecessor, of which he was a State Executive Committee member by 1974. He is a man steeped in the party’s culture and comfortable navigating its internal hierarchies.

His election carries implications beyond protocol. As Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Radhakrishnan will preside over the Upper House at a time when the BJP seeks to consolidate legislative control and assert moral authority. More subtly, his Tamilian background and belonging to the Gounder-Kongu Vellalar OBC community is expected to give a strategic boost to the party’s ambitions in Tamil Nadu, where state elections loom next year. After decades of limited penetration, the BJP’s deployment of a candidate with southern roots may be its most serious attempt yet to make inroads into a complex regional landscape.

The voting dynamics also illustrate the limitations of the opposition’s coherence. Of the 788 eligible MPs, 767 voted, yielding a turnout of 98.2 per cent. Thirteen abstentions came from smaller regional parties and one independent MP. The discrepancy between predicted and actual votes for Reddy points to not only strategic defections but also to an absence of unified discipline among INDIA bloc members.

Radhakrishnan’s victory reflects the BJP’s recognition of having an organization man who is more regionally resonant than mere ceremonial ballast. His comfortable win sends a clear message that the ruling party aims to extend its reach into regions where it has historically struggled. The Upper House, often viewed as a chamber of restraint, is about to see a more assertive hand on its gavel.