THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior BJP leader A N Radhakrishnan has been appointed as the Vice Chairman of the NDA’s Kerala unit, ending speculation and dissent within the party over his exclusion from the recently announced state core committee.

The appointment was made by BJP state president and NDA Kerala chairman Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

The core committee list, released on Thursday, August 7, had notably omitted three prominent leaders — A.N. Radhakrishnan, O. Rajagopal, and C.K. Padmanabhan.

While Padmanabhan’s name was later added, Radhakrishnan’s absence continued to raise questions. Party sources said the new appointment was aimed at addressing concerns among the cadre and reaffirming his position in the party leadership.

“The exclusion of A.N. Radhakrishnan surprised many. In O. Rajagopal’s case, everyone assumed it was due to health reasons, but there was no clear explanation for Radhakrishnan’s omission,” a senior BJP leader said, on condition of anonymity.