India
NDA names Venkaiah Naidu for Vice Presidential Election 2017 | BJP eyes Rajya Sabha and South
On Monday, BJP’s Parliamentary Board Metting declared that Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu would be the vice-presidential candidate of the ruling NDA. BJP president Amit Shah had officially announced on Monday evening about the Vice Presidential election 2017.
The Opposition’s candidate Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will be taken over by Naidu in the election in which the BJP and its confederates have a clear edge on August 8. Before filing the vice presidential election on Tuesday, Naidu is expected to quit as a cabinet minister from the management of Union Information and Broadcasting, and Urban Development minister. A Cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected with two other key portfolios being vacant: Defence and Environment.
Read also Election for Vice President’s post to be held on August 5
Sources said that Naidu’s thought is that he wanted to be an ‘active politician’ till his end.
“He felt that becoming vice-president would be the end of his political career. He wanted to remain the voice of Prime Minister Modi and play a key role in making his ‘dream India’ a reality. He has conveyed it to the Prime Minister also,”
BJP selected Naidu for the prominent reason by managing the Rajya Sabha, also political and electoral aims in the south and the government’s concern. A party Leader told that,
“The Rajya Sabha has a number political heavyweights — P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijay Singh, Kapil Sibal etc., in the Congress; Ram Gopal Yadav in SP; Mayawati in BSP, etc. Both the Prime Minister and Shah wanted an experienced man of stature with flexibility and pragmatism to conduct the House smoothly,”
Several BJP leaders argue that Naidu’s election as vice president in Vice Presidential election would also be a morale-booster for party cadre in the southern states, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
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