Raut praises NDA V-P candidate Radhakrishnan’s ‘balanced personality’, hints at Sena UBT’s stance on poll

The vice-presidential election, scheduled for September 9, was necessitated after incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, citing health reasons.

On Sunday, BJP president J P Nadda announced Radhakrishnan’s candidature after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board, appealing for a consensus to ensure an unopposed election. While Nadda has appealed for consensus, Opposition leaders are expected to discuss the matter in an INDIA bloc meeting this week.

Raut made it clear that while the Shiv Sena (UBT) welcomed the nomination of a leader associated with Maharashtra, his party would go by the INDIA bloc’s collective decision. However, he also stressed that the Sena (UBT) and party chief Uddhav Thackeray always feel that elections for such constitutional posts should not be politicised, and candidates should be elected unopposed.

“He has been working calmly as governor of Maharashtra for the past year, and is a very balanced, non-controversial personality in politics. We are glad that the Maharashtra governor is getting an opportunity to become the vice-president of the country. We always welcome and congratulate such appointments,” Raut told reporters in Delhi.

“But he is the NDA’s candidate, and we are in Opposition. The INDIA alliance will take a collective decision, and the Sena (UBT) will go with whatever the bloc decides. There is also a meeting to be held with Rahul Gandhi and [Mallikarjun] Kharge in Delhi, where these issues will be discussed,” he added.

INDIA bloc numbers

The Sena MP pointed out that the Opposition front does not have the numerical strength to defeat the NDA nominee in the vice presidential elections.

“Since the INDIA bloc doesn’t have enough numbers to win the VP polls, attention shouldn’t be diverted from the real issues: vote chori, manipulation of voter lists, and the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in Bihar. These are the issues Rahul Gandhi has raised, and they must remain the focus,” he said.

Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will abide by the bloc’s decision, and that Uddhav had already conveyed his views to Rahul and Congress president Kharge.

Raut also criticised the Election Commission over its demand that Rahul Gandhi submit an affidavit to back his allegations of vote theft. “This is arrogance. Will the EC also ask Anurag Thakur to file an affidavit when he makes similar allegations? Or is the Commission’s courage only for Rahul Gandhi?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena announced its support for the candidature of Radhakrishnan.

Expressing confidence in his victory, Shinde said, “By nominating C P Radhakrishnanji as the candidate for the post of Vice President, the NDA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has duly honoured an experienced, intellectual, honest, and patriotic personality in Indian politics.”

“As the Governor of Maharashtra, Radhakrishnanji has been a source of pride for us. With his vast parliamentary experience as a Member of Parliament and his deep administrative knowledge as a Governor, his candidature deserves full support from Shiv Sena. We are confident that his tenure as Vice President will prove to be remarkable for the bright future of the nation. On behalf of Shiv Sena, I extend best wishes to C P Radhakrishnan for a successful tenure.”

Radhakrishnan, 66, took charge as Maharashtra’s 24th Governor on July 31, 2024. A senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, he earlier served as Governor of Jharkhand between February 2023 and July 2024, and briefly held additional charge of Telangana and Puducherry. He represented Coimbatore in Lok Sabha twice, and also headed the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit.