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Congress holds internal discussion on VP election
Congress discusses VP election strategy, awaiting ruling party's candidate announcement before finalizing their nominee. Nominations due by August 21.
The Congress party held its first internal discussion on the upcoming Vice President election as the leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and party’s general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal met the party president Mallikarjun Kharge at his house.
Senior officials said that the INDIA group will wait for the ruling dispensation to announce its candidate first before picking the Opposition’s nominee. “We want to contest the election but we will wait for the government to declare its candidate. So far, the government has not approached us to seek suggestions on the VP election.”
The last date of filing nomination for the VP polls is August 21 and the polling will be held on September 9.
A second official aware of the details indicated that the Congress brass might meet again on August 15 or 16 to finalize possible nominees and a INDIA group meeting would be held next week to announce the candidate if there is no consensus between the government and the Opposition over the VP candidate.
A section of the Congress is of the opinion that the party must push the issue of social justice in this VP poll too, and nominate a candidate who is either a Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or an OBC. Some non-Congress Opposition parties are of the opinion that preferably younger candidates should be fielded to send a better political message.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hinted on Tuesday that the Opposition will participate in the election and field its own candidate. Another senior Congress leader pointed out that in every such election, the Opposition waits to hear the name of the official nominee of the ruling party before taking the final decision.
