Next Vice-President of India: BJP picks Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi, July 17: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu will be the NDA's candidate for the next Vice-President of India. The BJP's parliamentary board which met earlier today decided that Naidu would contest the Vp elections to be held in August.

Venkaiah Naidu, who is the Information and broadcasting minister will be the candidate, the BJP decided at its parliamentary board meeting. The announcement was made by BJP's national president Amit Shah.

Naidu will file nomination tomorrow at 11 am, the last day of doing so.

Naidu's good equation with all parties and his ability to smoothly run the Rajya Sabha, where the Vice President is chairman and where the government is currently in a minority has been the criteria to choose him for the post.

He also believes in the core values of the BJP and its ideological mentor the RSS.

"BJP Parliamentary Board unanimously chose Venkaiah Naidu as our vice-presidential candidate and all NDA allies have welcomed this decision. He has also accepted the nomination," BJP president Amit Shah said at a press conference after the meeting.

"Naidu ji will file his nomination papers as the NDA's vice-presidential candidate tomorrow at 11am," Shah added.

Like in the case of President,with the backing of southern parties like AIADMK, Telengana Rashtra Samiti and YSR Congress, the BJP candidate is likely to win the votes of 557 MPs in the electoral college of 787 MPs.

The opposition has already nominated Gopal Krishna Gandhi as its VP candidate. The polls will be held in August.

Earlier, the BJP has already held discussions with RSS functionaries Bhaiyyaji Joshi and Krishna Gopal on a range of issues which also included the VP candidate.

The term of Vice President Hamid Ansari, ends on August 10.

OneIndia News