Congress To Take Call On Veep, DMK Leader, Ex-ISRO Scientist On List: Sources

The INDIA bloc has authorized Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to take a call on the Opposition candidate for the post of the Vice-President who will face NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan -- the Governor of Maharashtra - on September 9. Sources said several names have been shortlisted -- including former ISRO scientist and Padma Shri awardee M Annadurai, Tushar Gandhi, author and great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and  DMK's Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi Siva. The final call will be taken and announced post-noon tomorrow, sources said.

Mylswami Annadurai has served as the programme director not only for Chandrayaan-1 but also for Chandrayaan-2 and the Mars Orbiter mission. His nomination could get on board Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, which has been insisting on a candidate who does not have a political background. 

Trinamool had abstained from the 2022 vice-presidential election because they did not agree with the Opposition choice of Margaret Alva.

Choosing Mr Siva as its candidate could help the Opposition navigate the intricacies of regional politics, sources have indicated, highlighting several factors that may go in favour of the Tamil Nadu politician - not the least of which is that it could split the south votes. 

Tushar Gandhi had joined Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in November 2022 as it passed through Maharashtra. In 2017, his uncle Gopalkrishna Gandhi was the UPA nominee for the Vice President post and had lost with 244 votes against NDA candidate Venkaiah Naidu.

The election on September 9 is expected to be tilted heavily in favour of CP Radhakrishnan, who is one of BJP's party's tallest leaders from Tamil Nadu. His selection is expected to send a strong signal to the state - which is heading for elections next year. His nomination has already sparked ripples in the south. Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress has already agreed to support him. So will AIADMK, the BJP's ally in Tamil Nadu. 

Going by concrete numbers, the NDA clearly has an edge. With the combined strength of both houses standing at 786, the majority mark is 394. The NDA's combined strength in the two houses is 422 -- 293 members in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha.  

The Opposition, though, will field its candidate to underscore democratic principles and opposition unity, as they did in 2022 by fielding Margaret Alva. It will also bank on the fact that parties cannot issue whips in this election and MPS are expected to vote for whoever they want. 

Ms Alva, though, had lost to Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down last month -- long ahead of time -- citing health. Sources, though, had indicated later that his decision on accepting an Opposition move to impeach a judge.