Rashid Masood UNPA's VP nominee; files nomination

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, July 20: United Nationalist Progressive Alliance (UNPA) candidate Rashid Masood today filed his nomination papers for the 13th Vice Presidential election.

The nomination of Mr Masood, who belongs to the SP, was proposed and seconded by 40 MPs of the seven-party conglomerate.

Promiment among them were SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, party general secretary Amar Singh, SP leaders Jaya Prada and Jaya Bachchan. TDP president Chandrababu Naidu and senior party member K Yerran Naidu also signed the papers.

However, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa could not attend the meet as she is reportedly unwell but Mr Malay Swami represented the party.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, Jharkhand Vikas Party (JVP) president Babulal Marandi, Mr Ravi Chandran of the MDMK and AGP's Sarbanand Sonowal were there.

The SP chief said there was no ideological difference between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). ''Both the parties aim to bring foreign companies to India at the cost of the domestic ones.'' He came down on political parties for criticising Ms Jayalalithaa on the crossvoting issue, saying they did not have any right to make adverse comments against her.

On the cracks in the UNPA after some of the members broke ranks and voted in favour of NDA-backed Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Mr Naidu said there was some confusion because of the Election Commission's order. ''But other than that, there is no division among us,'' he added.

Mr Chauthala said the UNPA was ready to accept support for its Vice-Presidential candidate for the August 10 polls from any quarter but ''there is no question of give and take''.

Mr Masood, who had said he would refuse to sing Vande Mataram even if he became the Vice-President, today, however, adopted a cautious approach and declined to comment on the issue.

UNI

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