The process of selecting the National Demo­cratic Alliance government’s candidate for the post of the vice-president, C.P. Radha­krish­nan, was ostensibly a consensual affair. In reality, the choice not only reflects the political ambitions of the Bharatiya Janata Party but also signals a strategic thrust against the Opposition. Unsurprisingly, Mr Radhakrishnan ticks the necessary ideological box: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s endorsement of his candidacy proves this point. But the real intention seems to be deepening the BJP’s electoral imprint in Tamil Nadu, a bastion of Dravidian politics that has eluded the clutch of the saffron camp. The BJP had managed to increase its vote share in this southern state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the wise men in the party believe that nominating Mr Radhakrishnan, a party stalwart from Tamil Nadu, as the vice-presidential candidate would provide further electoral fillip to the BJP in Tamil Nadu’s assembly elections, which are on the horizon. It will be interesting to see how the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chooses to respond to the BJP’s ploy. This is because if it were to staunchly oppose Mr Radhakrishnan, it could render itself vulnerable to the BJP’s charge of going against the interests of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, ground realities need to be taken into consideration as well. Mr Radhakrishnan belongs to the Gounder community that has a significant presence in west Tamil Nadu. This region is yet to be identified as the DMK’s turf but it has been making improvements here of late. The DMK would be loathe to lose that momentum. There is another challenge that the DMK has to be mindful of. A contest with an Opposition candidate would also mean the DMK’s allies piling pressure on it to take the battle to Mr Radhakrishnan.

There is though an important aspect that must not be allowed to get clouded by the political developments concerning the election of the vice-president. This concerns the conduct of the occupant of this high office. Jagdeep Dhankhar may have resigned after falling out of favour with the powers that be but when he was in the Chair, the Opposition often accused him of being partisan. In fact, some members of the Opposition had even issued a notice for Mr Dhankhar’s removal as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha on account of his alleged bias while conducting House proceedings. His successor — Mr Radhakrishnan in all probability — should be mindful of the need to rise above political imperatives while sitting on that august Chair.