NEW DELHI, Aug 18: The election of the Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan as the next vice-president to replace Mr Jagdeep Dhankhar is expected to be a foregone conclusion given the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has the requisite number of votes, with nearly three dozen to spare, in the two Houses of Parliament to get its candidate through.
Between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the BJP has 422 MPs, including those from NDA members, and can count on support from non-aligned partners, including ex-Andhra Chief Minister Jagan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party. Mr Radhakrisnan and the BJP need only 394 votes to win.
The opposition, i.e., the Congress-led INDIA bloc, will still name a candidate, of course, with DMK rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva on the shortlist, as is ex-ISRO scientist Mylswami Annadurai. Though the opposition has little chance to win, they have said it would field a candidate to underscore democratic principles and unity within its ranks ahead of crucial elections in Bihar later this year and in Tamil Nadu, Bengal, and Assam in 2026.
Also, the INDIA bloc knows it needs to respond to the BJP selecting a Tamil Nadu politician as a Vice President candidate. Sources said picking Mr Radhakrishnan – a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu – was meant to allow the party to corner the state’s ruling DMK into either supporting its pick (and breaking rank with the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies) or risk being bashed as ‘anti-Tamil.’
Publicly the DMK has pooh-pooed any notion that selecting a Vice President from its state makes the BJP pro-Tamil. Privately, sources said, the party has urged INDIA allies to counter Mr Radhakrishnan with a Tamil face of its own. The Congress has reportedly agreed to this tactic. To that end, on Monday there were rumours that Tiruchi Siva, a five-time parliamentarian, would be selected to stand against Mr Radhakrishnan. But a sticking point soon emerged.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool – which refused to back the Congress’ Margaret Alva in the 2022 Veep election, because it wanted a non-political face – has made a similar demand. Three years ago, refusing to give in, the Trinamool abstained, and Mr Dhankhar romped to an outsized win. This time around, aware it needs all the votes it can get, the INDIA bloc is likely to be more open to the Trinamool’s demands, which may be why Mr Annadurai, a scientist, is on the shortlist.
For the BJP, nominating Mr Radhakrishnan works on multiple levels. It sets up possible rifts between the DMK and the rest of the INDIA bloc if a Tamil face is not chosen, or between the Trinamool and the rest of the bloc if a political face is chosen.
Either way the BJP has the numbers to make Mr Radhakrishnan – whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised as someone who “distinguished himself with his dedication, humility and intellect” – the third Vice President (and second with that surname) from Tamil Nadu.
(Manas Dasgupta)
