Our Correspondent
Senior BJP Leader, M Venkaiah Naidu today filed his nomination for the post of Vice President of India as NDA candidate. Opposition Vice Presidential candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi also filed his nomination papers today in presense of several opposition leaders.
Talking to media after filing his nomination, Mr Naidu expressed confidence that he will be able to do justice to the august post. He thanked all parties who supported his candidature and said India’s strength lies in Parliamentary system.
He assured that he will uphold dignity and tradition of the office. Mr Naidu said he comes from a humble background and rose to this position because of the support of the people. He said he does not belong to BJP anymore as the post of Vice President is above the party. Mr Naidu also said that is is painful for him to leave the party.
Yesterday, BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi announced Venkaiah Naidu’s name for the NDA vice president candidate after the Party Parliamentary Board meeting. Mr Shah called him one of most recognisable faces in the party.
After the announcement of the candidature of Mr Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a series of tweet said that he is a fit candidate for the office. Mr Modi said, the years of Parliamentary experience Mr Naidu has, will help him discharge the important role of Rajya Sabha Chairperson.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also hailed the choice while The ruling TRS in Telangana and in Tamil Nadu, the rebel AIADMK faction led by former chief Minister O Panneerselvam has extended their support to Mr Naidu’s candidature.
After his selection as NDA candidate, Mr Naidu resigned as Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Housing and Urban Affairs. Naidu had started his political career as a worker of the ABVP, the students’ wing of the RSS, and held positions in student unions. He was also the president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing.
The four-time Rajya Sabha member was also a member of the Andhra assembly. He was the rural development minister in the first NDA government.
Mr Naidu, who is 68, served two-time as the party president is pitted against Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Mr Gandhi was chosen by an alliance of 18 opposition parties, including the Congress. Today is the last day for filing the nominations. The scrutiny will be held on tomorrow and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is 21st of this month.
The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both the Houses of Parliament including nominated members. The electoral college for the August 5 election consists of 790 MPs of the two chambers of Parliament. NDA’s has numerical superiority in the electoral college over the opposition.
Opposition Vice Presidential candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi has filed his nomination papers today. Talking to media after filing nomination, Mr Gandhi said he is representing the aspirations of common people of the country.
He said unemployment is a huge issue which people face and country is being divided by few. He said he wants to unite people of the country.
On Shiv Sena’s comments that he had been opposed to the death sentence of 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict Yakub Memon, Mr Gandhi said he has always been against death penalty.