The stage is set for the vice-presidential contest between National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate M Venkaiah Naidu and Opposition nominee Gopalkrishna Gandhi who filed their nomination papers here in Parliament complex on Tuesday. The election is scheduled on August 5.
Flanked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader lK Advani, former Minister Naidu submitted his nomination papers for the vice-presidential election as he received support from AIADMK, TRS, YSR Congress and INlD and other Opposition parties.
BJP president Amit Shah, senior leaders lK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi as well as leaders from BJP allies and those from other regional parties, including the AIADMK and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, accompanied Naidu as he filed his papers in the parliament complex. The Shiv Sena was also present.
Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and several top leaders of the NDA were among those who proposed and seconded Naidu’s candidature in the several sets of nomination papers filed in his favour.
For his part, former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi filed his nomination in the presence of senior Congress and other opposition leaders, including from the JD(U). Gandhi has been picked by 18 Opposition parties to be their nominee for the post of vice -president.
Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, which has backed NDA’s Presidential candidate, however, announced his party’s support to Gandhi.
The Congress was represented by party president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge as Gandhi filed his papers.Besides, other Opposition leaders, including JD (U)’s Sharad Yadav, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja, NCP’s Tariq Anwar and Praful Patel, NC’s Farooq Abdullah and DMK’s Kanimozhi were also present.
“In our country, we are living in times of division. A whole force which is dividing our country is in action mode and that spells danger,” Gandhi said after filing his papers. He said he was representing the common citizen of the country and not any political party and would try and help bridge the gulf between the public and politics.
Naidu, in a “farewell” Press conference soon after he filed his nomination, expressed his gratitude to the PM Minister and BJP chief as he played down reports that he was not very keen for the new responsibility.
“The office of the vice president has been held by the illustrious people like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Zakir Hussain, M Hidayatullah, R Venkataraman, Shanker Dayal Sharma and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat...
“I am fully aware of the august responsibilities associated with the office. I would like to assure the people of the country that, on being elected, I will uphold the traditions and standards set by the worthy predecessors. I will uphold the dignity of the office of the vice president,” he told reporters.
Earlier, before filing his nomination paper he called on ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other party veterans Advani and Joshi. He also met leaders of various parties, including non-NDA outfits such as the AIADMK, YSRCP and TRS. Naidu said he had thought of doing public service after 2019 but destiny had other plans for him.