Maharashtra's second leap from Raj Bhavan to Rajya Sabha as CP Radhakrishnan named NDA’s VP pick

C P Radhakrishnan’s elevation to Vice President next month will mirror the journey of Shankar Dayal Sharma, who held the Maharashtra Governor’s office before moving on to the country’s top constitutional posts.

Mumbai: C P Radhakrishnan, Governor of Maharashtra, is set to become the second person to move from Raj Bhavan in Mumbai to the Vice President’s office. He will assume the country’s second-highest constitutional post after the elections scheduled for September 9.

The BJP-led NDA has named Radhakrishnan, 68, a two-term MP from Tamil Nadu, as its candidate for the polls. He took charge as Maharashtra’s Governor on July 31, 2024.

The first Governor of Maharashtra to become Vice President was Shankar Dayal Sharma, who later rose to the presidency. Before his national roles, Sharma was Chief Minister of the erstwhile Bhopal State from March 1952 to October 1956. He subsequently served as a minister in the Madhya Pradesh government and in the Union Cabinet under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Sharma was Governor of Maharashtra between April 1986 and September 1987, during the tenure of Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan. He succeeded R Venkataraman as Vice President when Venkataraman was elevated to the presidency.

In the 1987 Vice Presidential elections, 27 candidates filed nominations. After scrutiny, 26 were rejected, leaving Sharma as the sole valid candidate. He was therefore declared elected unopposed.

Sharma served as Vice President from September 3, 1987, to July 25, 1992. He then became President of India, serving a full term until July 25, 1997. Sharma died on December 6, 1999.