Hours after the BJP announced Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its Vice Presidential nominee, several parties in the INDIA bloc signaled their preference for a candidate who is an eminent personality, firmly adheres to Constitutional and democratic values, and does not belong to any major political party.
The opposition is expected to finalize and announce its candidate by Tuesday, aiming to avoid the pitfalls of the previous VP election, when former Congress minister Margaret Alva was fielded against NDA’s Jagdeep Dhankhar. Alva’s nomination had triggered dissent from Trinamool Congress (TMC), then the second-largest opposition party, which chose not to support her.
Congress Leaders Back Non-Politician Strategy
Senior Congress leaders indicated that the upcoming nomination will be a “INDIA bloc candidate” rather than a nominee from any single party. A floor leader from a non-Congress opposition party told, “We prefer an eminent person as the candidate and not a politician. But, that person would adhere to the values of the Constitution and democracy.”
A Congress leader added that the party is open to fielding a non-politician nominee and stressed the importance of collective deliberation: “We will have a detailed discussion with all the leaders of the INDIA bloc. It is not necessary that the candidate must be a politician.”
Strategic Advantage of a Neutral Nominee
Choosing a non-Congress, non-politician candidate could help secure votes from fence-sitter parties such as the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), as well as some MPs from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who may be hesitant to support a politician from another party. While AAP formally quit the INDIA bloc, it joined the opposition’s march to the Election Commission last week, signaling interest in a consensus candidate.
Also Read: Shiv Sena Leader Lauds NDA’s VP Pick CP Radhakrishnan Ahead of September Poll
Past Precedent and Leadership Meetings
The idea of fielding a non-politician is not new. In 2017, the opposition had nominated Gopal Krishna Gandhi, a former diplomat and West Bengal Governor, against NDA’s Venkaiah Naidu.
On August 8, following a dinner hosted by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, 14 senior opposition leaders—including Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray, Farooq Abdullah, Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien, and MA Baby, held another round of discussions. Many supported the concept of nominating a neutral eminent personality for the September 9 polls.
Functionaries revealed that Kharge has already discussed the VP polls with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal. On Monday, Kharge is scheduled to call a meeting of Opposition floor leaders, where the VP poll strategy is likely to be deliberated further.
