NDA Reaches Out To Opposition Leaders For Support To VP Nominee CP Radhakrishnan

Mumbai: In a bid to garner maximum support for its Vice-Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has begun approaching leaders of opposition parties. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly contacted NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday to seek their support.

UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that both the leaders called Uddhav Thackeray with an appeal to support the NDA nominee.

Raut shared this information with media persons in New Delhi. “They must have done it to others as well. It's their job,” Raut said.

Radhakrishnan, who is currently the governor of Maharashtra, filed his nomination papers as the NDA's vice-presidential candidate on Wednesday. On the other side, nominee of the INDIA bloc B Sudarshan Reddy filed his papers on Thursday. Both the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena are members of the INDIA bloc, and they are partners with the Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The election, in which members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will cast their votes, is scheduled for September 9.

The effective strength of the electoral college is 781, and the majority mark is 391.

It is said that Fadnavis, while seeking support of the NCP(SP) and the Shiv Sena(UBT), told both the leaders that Radhakrishnan is a registered voter from Maharashtra.

While the UBT has nine members in the Lok Sabha, the NCP(SP) has eight. Both parties have two members each in the Rajya Sabha.