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Kharge to hold Opposition meeting over Vice Presidential polls
Congress president Kharge will meet Opposition leaders on Aug 18 to strategise for the Vice Presidential elections and discuss Monsoon Session floor management.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting of floor leaders of Opposition parties on August 18, with the meeting expected to see discussions on strategy for the Vice Presidential elections, party leaders aware of the matter said on Saturday.
The meeting, set to be held at Kharge’s parliamentary office, will take place a day before the last date of filing nominations for the upcoming elections, a senior Congress leader said. Along with discussions about strategy for the election, the opposition leaders are expected to debate over floor management for the remaining period of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, they added.
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The election for the post of Vice President will take place on September 9. The last date for filing nominations is August 19, with the scrutiny on August 22, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced earlier this month.
The vacancy in the Office of the Vice President arose due to the abrupt resignation by Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, citing health grounds.
HT reported on August 9 that the INDIA bloc will opt for a non-Congress candidate for the election, in an effort to unite all Opposition parties and maximise the anti-BJP votes, which includes at least 11 votes of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Both the Opposition and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have yet to announce their candidates for the polls.
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The Opposition, according to two leaders, will not disclose its nominee and wait for the government to announce its candidate.
“We are in no hurry. Let the government make a move first. There is no communication from the government on this issue so far,” a senior Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.
