Himanta terms NDA's VP candidate Radhakrishnan statesman, says he served country in various roles

Guwahati, Aug 17 (PTI) Congratulating Maharashtra Governor Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan on being nominated as the NDA's candidate for the vice president's post, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the nominee is a statesman who has served the country in various roles.

Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background, was on Sunday named the vice-presidential candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance.

"The Hon'ble Governor of Maharashtra Thiru C P Radhakrishnan is a veteran statesman who has diligently served the nation in numerous roles. Both as Governor and as Parliamentarian, serving the people was his foremost priority," Sarma said in a post on X.

On behalf of the people of Assam, the CM extended heartfelt congratulations on Radhakrishnan's nomination as the NDA's candidate for the vice-presidential election.

"We are grateful to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji, Adarniya Adhyaksh Shri @JPNadda Ji and to all members of the @BJP4India Parliamentary board for this excellent decision," Sarma said.

Announcing the nomination, BJP president J P Nadda said a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided Radhakrishnan's name after an extensive deliberation. Nadda hoped the opposition parties would support the NDA candidate.

The vice-presidential election, necessitated by the resignation of incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar last month, is scheduled for September 9. The last date for filing nomination is August 22. PTI TR TR ACD