NDA Seeks Consensus For CP Radhakrishnan As Vice President, Opposition Likely To Field Candidate

The race for India’s next Vice President has begun, with the NDA formally pitching Tamil Nadu Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate. At the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting in Delhi, leaders appealed to the Opposition to support Radhakrishnan unanimously, stressing that the country would benefit from consensus on such a key constitutional post.According to sources, the NDA claims support of around 385 MPs, giving it a comfortable majority. Even if the entire Opposition unites, it is estimated to have only around 240 votes. Despite the numbers being stacked against them, the Opposition is unlikely to withdraw. INDIA bloc leaders are meeting at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence this afternoon and are expected to announce their own candidate.Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Kiren Rijiju, have already reached out to Opposition leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, and Mamata Banerjee to seek support for Radhakrishnan. However, sources suggest the INDIA alliance will proceed with a contest to send out a political message.For now, the momentum lies with the NDA, and CP Radhakrishnan looks set to become the country’s next Vice President, but the Opposition seems prepared for a symbolic fight.