NDA picks Venkaiah as its vicepresidential nominee
‘FARMER’S SON’ PM hails Naidu as a leader admired across political spectrum
› The BJP is my mother. I feel like I’m leaving my mother. M VENKAIAH NAIDU
NEWDELHI: Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu is set to become India’s next vice president, having been named by the Bharatiya Janata Party as the ruling alliance’s candidate on Monday.
He will go into the August 5 election with a clear advantage over the opposition’s candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
The vice president is selected by an electoral college of 790 parliamentarians from both houses, where the National Democratic Alliance — the BJP and its partners — form a majority with 410 members. “He is one of the most senior and experienced leaders across party lines,” BJP chief Amit Shah said after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board that cleared his name. “He has more than 25 years of experience in public life.”
PM Narendra Modi, who was in the meeting, also praised Naidu after the announcement. “A farmer’s son, @MVenkaiah- Naidu Garu brings years of experience in public life and is admired across the political spectrum,” he tweeted from his @narendramodi handle.
“The BJP is my mother. I feel like I am leaving my mother,” Naidu told Hindustan Times.
According to sources, Modi spoke to JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and NCP chief Sharad Pawar for support. Kumar has already pledged support to Gandhi. Two sets of nomination papers in support of Naidu’s candidature will be filed tomorrow — the last day of nomination. Modi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will propose Naidu’s name.