BHUBANESWAR: Unlike the immediate announcement of support for the NDA’s Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to wait and watch before taking a decision on Vice-Presidential candidate.
The name of Gopal Krishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal was finalised on Tuesday as Opposition’s Vice Presidential candidate. Sources in the BJD said, the decision of BJD will vary taking into consideration the profile of the candidate. “One should not think that BJD will support the NDA’s VP candidate as it had done in the case of Ram Nath Kovind,” a senior BJD leader said.
Minister for Food Supply and Consumer Welfare and BJD vice-president, Surjya Narayan Patro, however, said no decision has been taken in this regard so far.
The party’s decision will be announced by the Chief Minister, he said. Meanwhile, it has been decided that Kovind will meet BJD and BJP lawmakers separately.
Secretary of the BJP legislature party Rabinarayan Nayak had announced that Kovind will meet lawmakers of both the parties jointly in the Assembly hall during his visit to the State on July 14. Later, he clarified that there will be separate meetings.
Patro also rejected the idea of a joint meeting and said Kovind will meet BJD lawmakers separately.
The date of UPA Presidential candidate Meira Kumar’s visit to Odisha is yet to be finalised. Her meeting with Congress lawmakers here on July 3 was cancelled.