Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu is Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting.
Highlights
- Mr Naidu has been named in reports as possible Presidential candidate
- He said he didn't want to be President or Vice President
- Such reports seen to be good as BJP tries to enter Andhra, Telangana
Amid brisk-paced political moves on picking the next president of India, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today used his characteristic word-play to rule himself out.
Mr Naidu has been named in some reports among possible candidates for President and even Vice President.
"I neither want to become
Rashtrapati (president), nor do I want to become
uprashtrapati (vice president). I am happy being Usha's
pati (wife Usha's husband)," Mr Naidu quipped when questioned by reporters.
The President is elected by members of both houses of parliament and those of state legislatures. The Vice President, on the other hand, is elected by electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament.
Reports of Mr Naidu being considered were justified by party insiders who see it as a good move for the BJP as it tries to make inroads in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Last week, opposition parties decided that they would wait to see whether the candidate picked by the government for President is acceptable to them before deciding whether they will force a contest. President Pranab Mukherjee's term ends in July.