PM Modi urges Opposition parties to back CP Radhakrishnan for Vice-President role

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday appealed to the Opposition to support CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA’s candidate for the post of Vice President, so that the new Rajya Sabha chairman is elected through the general committee. He said Rajnath Singh is in talks with leaders of all parties regarding this.

Speaking at the NDA’s parliamentary meet in the national capital, PM Modi said, "Rajnath Singh is also in continuous discussions with everyone." He urged all parties to unanimously back the NDA candidate, describing CP Radhakrishnan as an excellent choice for the Vice President post, a person who has led a life without controversy and is very humble.

After meeting CP Radhakrishnan in Delhi on Monday, PM Modi tweeted, "Met Thiru CP Radhakrishnan Ji. Conveyed my best wishes on his being the NDA’s Vice Presidential nominee. His long years of public service and experience across domains will greatly enrich our nation. May he continue to serve the nation with the same dedication and resolve he has always demonstrated."

The BJP-led NDA on Sunday announced Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its nominee for the upcoming Vice Presidential election. The decision came after a meeting of the BJP parliamentary board, attended by senior leaders including Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

While the NDA has chosen CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice President candidate, the INDIA bloc has yet to reveal its candidate. Sources have confirmed to India Today that a joint INDIA bloc candidate will contest the upcoming Vice Presidential polls.

A meeting of leaders from "all Opposition parties in Parliament" has been convened at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 12:30 pm today, after which it is expected that a name will be officially announced. According to sources, top leaders of the INDIA bloc are consulting on several potential candidates, including former ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai, who supervised the Chandrayaan-1 project.

The Opposition aims to frame the electoral battle as one focused on protecting "Democracy and the Constitution." Other names under preliminary consideration include Tushar Gandhi, historian and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, to make the Vice Presidential polls an ideological contest against the BJP. A Dalit intellectual from Maharashtra is also being considered for the INDIA bloc’s Vice Presidential candidature.