Will DMK support a Tamil BJP candidate for Vice President?

The recent nomination of C.P. Radhakrishnan who is currently the Governor of Maharashtra and a senior BJP leader with roots in Tamil Nadu as the NDA’s candidate for the post of Vice-President of India, may create a potential political dilemma for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

As a key constituent of the INDIA alliance, the DMK must now weigh its Dravidian ideological commitments against the symbolic significance of a Tamil leader being nominated for one of the highest constitutional offices in the country.

BJP’s strategic Tamil outreach

The BJP’s choice of C.P. Radhakrishnan popularly known as CPR is more than just a routine political nomination. Though the party has consistently struggled to make electoral inroads in Tamil Nadu, CPR’s selection sends a calculated message: the BJP is making efforts to acknowledge Tamil identity and extend symbolic respect to the state. CPR, with his longstanding involvement in Tamil Nadu politics and his current gubernatorial role, is being projected as a Tamil face in national leadership.

If elected, he would become only the third Vice-President from Tamil Nadu, following the footsteps of eminent leaders like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and R. Venkataraman.

Tamil identity vs. political allegiance

With 22 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 10 in the Rajya Sabha, the DMK’s position on the Vice-Presidential election could become crucial. The BJP and its ally AIADMK may push the narrative that supporting CPR is a matter of Tamil pride and a recognition of Tamil leadership at the national level. This could place the DMK under public and political pressure to back CPR's candidacy, or at least avoid directly opposing it.

The RSS factor

The major roadblock for the DMK lies in CPR's ideological background. As a veteran BJP leader with deep links to the RSS, CPR represents a political tradition that stands in stark contrast to the Dravidian model championed by the DMK. The party’s core identity is rooted in secularism, social justice, and opposition to what it views as the majoritarian and Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan model of governance associated with the BJP-RSS ecosystem.

This moment presents a strategic tightrope for the DMK. Supporting CPR could be spun as a token of Tamil solidarity, but it could also alienate core supporters and alliance partners. On the other hand, outright opposition could invite criticism from Tamil groups who might view CPR’s rise as a matter of ethnic representation rather than political affiliation.