'Moon Man', Gandhi kin among Opposition V-P picks, decision today
NEW DELHI: The Opposition INDIA bloc is set to name its Vice Presidential candidate on Tuesday afternoon, following a meeting on Monday where top leaders discussed options, with a final decision expected then, sources said.
“A meeting of leaders of all Opposition parties in Parliament will be held at 12:30 PM Tuesday, Aug 19, at 10, Rajaji Marg,” wrote Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X.
Sources said that the names that came up in the meeting included former ISRO scientist M Annadurai, who is known as the ‘Moon Man of India’ and is a Padma Shri awardee, as well as Tushar Gandhi, great-great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. The Opposition’s candidate will be vying with the NDA’s pick, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan.
The sources said that senior DMK leaders have proposed the name of Annadurai, who hails from Tamil Nadu, for the vice president’s post.
The name of senior DMK leader Tiruchi Siva is also doing the rounds, but discussions have yet to be held with other opposition leaders. Siva, however, refused to comment, saying his leadership will take a call on the issue.
NDA nominee Radhakrishnan hails from Tamil Nadu, which will go to the polls in 2026.
While Annadurai has served as the programme director not only for Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2, his nomination could help the Opposition counter the NDA’s southern push by projecting its candidate, a former MP from Coimbatore. Sources said the opposition wants to field a non-political face who has national standing and stature for the second-highest constitutional position in the country.
According to sources, the TMC has also stated that the party is keen on having a non-political figure for the Vice-Presidential election. The TMC had abstained from voting in the last Vice Presidential election, as it was at odds with the Congress for the choice of party leader Margaret Alva as the Opposition candidate.
According to people familiar with the developments, there was a prevailing view that the candidate should be from either Bihar or TN. The BJP believed that the nomination of Radhakrishnan would garner support from the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu.
But DMK leaders on Monday said that the party has no intention of backing NDA’s candidate stressing that preference will be given to "ideology."
"We cannot support Radhakrishnan merely on the grounds that he is Tamil,” they said.
Jagan says will back NDA nominee
The YSR Congress Party is set to support NDA’s vice presidential candidate C P Radhakrishnan. Sources said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had spoken to YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy seeking the regional party’s support for the ruling alliance’s candidate.