NEW DELHI: With only weeks left for the Vice-President election on September 9, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has organised a major brainstorming session -- potentially the final discussion regarding their pick -- on Tuesday morning at the Parliament premises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, designated by the NDA to have the final say on the candidate, is expected to address the MPs from both Houses – the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The nomination process for the Vice-President will close on August 21.
The BJP-nominated NDA’s consensus candidate is expected to file their nomination on August 21, accompanied by a majority of senior NDA leaders, including PM Modi and Chief Ministers of NDA ally-ruled states like Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and others.
While addressing the meeting, the PM will touch upon the alliance’s legislative agendas, the upcoming Vice-Presidential election, and the BJP’s nominated NDA candidate for the coveted post. A top-ranked source hinted that the RSS’s influence in the selection of the consensus candidate cannot be ruled out, given Modi’s open laudation of the Sangh from the ramparts of the Red Fort.
Notably, the meeting has been planned just two days after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, which is held on Sunday evening, for wider deliberations on both the party’s top organisational elections and the Vice-Presidential poll.
This BJP Parliamentary Board meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Modi with senior BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in attendance at the BJP headquarters, on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, the BJP has reportedly instructed all its MPs to ensure their presence in Delhi between September 6 and 9 to attend a party workshop at headquarters, which is likely to focus on the Vice-Presidential polls and other key organisational matters. The Vice-Presidential election has been necessitated following the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar last month, citing health concerns.
The NDA’s nomination for the V-P is expected to be a show of strength, with the attendance of almost all top leaders of the alliance, including CMs of NDA-ruled states. The presence of senior NDA leaders, including all Union Cabinet Ministers, CMs and Deputy CMs from BJP-ruled states, MPs, and national office-bearers during the filing of the nomination for the NDA’s consensus candidate, will serve as a clear message to the Congress-led Opposition under the INDIA Bloc ahead of the VP elections.
The Opposition, despite lacking the numbers required to secure a win, is also expected to field a candidate for this second-highest constitutional post.
