New Delhi — A little over two years after elevating Jagdeep Dhankhar to the chair of Rajya Sabha, the BJP has turned to a markedly different successor in CP Radhakrishnan — a leader whose temperament and ideological grounding signal both a reset in parliamentary strategy and a push for southern expansion.
Mr Dhankhar’s tenure was defined by sharp interventions, legalistic arguments, and frequent clashes with the Opposition. A former Bengal Governor and aggressive lawyer-politician, he was elevated in 2022 at the height of Jat farmer protests — his appointment read as a nod to Jat political identity and a message of inclusion. But his outspoken, often confrontational style quickly earned him the Opposition’s label of a “partisan enforcer,” straining the delicate balance of the Upper House.
By contrast, Mr Radhakrishnan is seen as mellow, inclusive, and temperamentally suited for consensus-building. A lifelong RSS and Jan Sangh product — associated with the movement since the age of 17 — he carries stronger ideological moorings than Dhankhar, who had little prior connection with the Sangh and was regarded as a pragmatic political choice rather than an insider.
The appointment also reflects BJP’s continuing reliance on OBC social engineering and its bid to consolidate a pan-South Indian presence beyond its Karnataka bastion. Unlike Dhankhar’s Jat-heavy outsider identity, Radhakrishnan is viewed as strategically placed to expand the party’s southern footprint.
As Governor, Mr Radhakrishnan has walked a careful line: subtly backing the Centre in its clashes with the DMK, dismissing Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana dharma as “childish,” and engaging in institutional interventions in Maharashtra without Dhankhar-style theatrics. His approach has been firm but measured, rooted in ideological alignment rather than headline-grabbing spats.
For the BJP, the change comes after Dhankhar abruptly resigned on the opening day of the current Parliament session, hours after accepting the Opposition’s proposal for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma without informing the government — a decision that stunned the treasury benches.
With Radhakrishnan, the message is clear: the Rajya Sabha requires balance, not aggression. Sources within the party suggest he is seen as a consensus candidate with little political baggage, someone capable of calming storms rather than stoking them.
If Dhankhar narrowed politics to caste and region, insiders say, Radhakrishnan broadens it toward national inclusiveness. For a government eyeing stability in Parliament and growth in the South, the contrast could not be sharper.
