Overview

• C.P. Radhakrishnan was officially nominated by the NDA on August 17 following Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation and enjoys the coalition’s comfortable majority in the parliamentary electoral college.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is leading outreach to unaligned regional parties, with the YSR Congress Party reportedly offering its support to boost Radhakrishnan’s tally.
• Radhakrishnan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 18, drawing public endorsements that underscored his RSS roots and four successive gubernatorial postings.
• INDIA bloc parties have scheduled a virtual meeting to finalise a joint candidate before the August 21 deadline, signalling a potential contest but facing numerical disadvantages.
• With nominations closing on August 21, withdrawals by August 25 and voting set for September 9, Radhakrishnan’s victory is seen as likely absent major cross-bloc defections or abstentions.