Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan are among the probable candidates that the BJP led National Democratic Alliance may pick as its nominee for the post of Vice President, for which elections are due on 5 August.
Though the BJP’s top brass is still engaged with the President poll campaign, sources in the party from Hyderabad told this newspaper the above mentioned names are being considered for the second highest constitutional post in the country.
A decision on the VP candidate will be taken by the BJP’s Parliamentary Board as was done in the case of its Presidential nominee, although the decision makers will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, the sources said. Sources who have access to the party’s top brass in New Delhi said that several names are being considered.
Since the NDA has picked its Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind from Uttar Pradesh, the choice of Vice President is likely to be from South India, sources said.
Since the NDA has picked its Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind from Uttar Pradesh, the choice of Vice President is likely to be from South India, the sources said. In that case, several prominent persons from five southern states—Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala—are likely to come up for discussion.
Venkaiah Naidu stands a fair chance of being considered for the post. He is a fourth term Rajya Sabha MP, thrice from Karnataka since 1998 and currently from Rajasthan. Naidu worked as a senior leader in the BJP and was its national president twice between 2002 and 2004. He was also a two-term MLA from Nellore district in AP in 1978 and 1983.
Venkaiah turned 68 on Saturday, 1 July and he is keen on leaving active politics after his current RS term ends in 2022. A senior BJP leader who shared his views on Venkaiah Naidu told this newspaper that the only obstacle in Venkaiah’s elevation is that PM Modi does not want to lose the services of senior Cabinet colleagues at this stage.
“Venkaiah is very active in the Modi led BJP government and is driving some of the flagship schemes of the government like Smart Cities and is acting as a troubleshooter for the ruling party at the national level. But given his vast experience in the Rajya Sbha and eminence in the party, he is a strong contender,” said the BJP leader who is also an MLA.
Interestingly, the names of Narasimhan and Rao are also being speculated on. Vidyasagar Rao is a Sangh Parivar man who began his public life with its student wing, ABVP in the early 1970s and worked as an active lawyer. He enjoys rapport with the PM and the top brass of the BJP.
Narasimhan has been an IPS officer and he comes from a non-political background. His name is being mentioned to seek the cooperation of the Congress-led Opposition, as he was appointed as AP Governor (Chhattisgarh before that) by the UPA regime a decade ago. When asked about his prospects, Narasimhan said: “Everything depends on God’s will.”