TRS for joint Vice President candidate

HYDERABAD: After extending its full support to joint Opposition candidate for Presidential election Yashwant Sinha, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) is now pitching for fielding a joint Opposition candidate for upcoming Vice-Presidential election against BJP-led NDA candidate.

TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is reportedly in touch with leaders of a few non-BJP parties over phone to build a consensus on fielding a joint Opposition candidate for Vice-Presidential election on the lines of Presidential election, according to party sources.

Chandrashekar Rao, who is waging a political battle against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre for the past few months, wants to utilise Vice-Presidential election to unite non-BJP parties against the BJP, it is learnt.

The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament. The TRS has a total strength of 16 MPs in Parliament, of whom nine are Lok Sabha members and seven are Rajya Sabha members. Party sources said the leaders of non-BJP parties were expected to meet in Delhi in a day or two to discuss fielding a joint Opposition candidate and finalise a candidate of non-BJP parties for Vice-Presidential election.

However, it is not clear who will represent the TRS in this meeting although there is a talk in TRS circles that Chandrashekar Rao may depute a senior party MP. The TRS was not part of the meeting convened by non-BJP parties in Delhi in June last week for selection of candidate for the Presidential election. However, Chandrashekar Rao deputed his son K.T. Rama Rao, who is also TRS working president and IT minister, to Delhi to attend Yashwant Sinha’s nomination papers filing event.

The TRS also held a grand reception for Yashwant Sinha at Jalavihar in the city last week which was attended by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, his entire cabinet, party MPs and MLAs.

Chandrashekar Rao appealed to the MPs of all political parties to vote according to their conscience and elect Sinha as the next President of India.

Former West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was the joint Opposition candidate against NDA’s M. Venkaiah Naidu in 2017 Vice-Presidential election. The TRS had extended support to Naidu then. Naidu’s term as Vice President ends on August 10.

The Election Commission has issued the notification for Vice-President election on July 5 for the polls on August 6. The last date for filing nominations is July 19 and the last date for the withdrawal of nominations is July 22. The election will be held on August 6 and the counting, if required, shall be held on the same day.

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