After cracks within the Opposition camp came out in the open after naming its joint presidential candidate, it is caught in a dilemma ahead of the election to the post of Vice President.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition have not yet announced their vice presidential candidate, the election for which is scheduled to be held on August 6. The nomination process for the same started on July 5 and July 19 is the last date for filing nominations.
Sources said that the BJP’s parliamentary board will be meeting soon to finalise the name. It will also seek the support of other parties since it is anticipating that the Opposition will mount a contest.
However, it is still unclear when the bigwigs in the Opposition would clear a name for the vice-presidential candidate or when a meeting will be held in the national capital. Sharad Pawar is visiting Delhi on July 17. Rahul Gandhi is also abroad and will arrive here by Sunday night.
Once bitten twice shy!
The latter seems to be dragging its feet this time in stark contrast to the eagerness shown to announce the name of former finance minister and a former BJP stalwart Yashwant Sinha as the Opposition presidential candidate. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee was in a tearing hurry to send a message that consensus had been reached and TMC was the initiator.
Sinha had resigned as a TMC leader and has been travelling across the country to garner support. However, his campaign has exposed the deep crevices in the Opposition camp. The presidential elections were supposed to be a platform to showcase the Opposition unity, but it turned out to be just the opposite.
The chips falling
Interestingly, the enthusiasm of the Trinamool was the first to fizzle out as the BJP countered the move by playing the Adivasi card and to top it nominated a woman candidate. Droupadi Murmu’s candidature has led to a crumbling of the Opposition’s edifice of unity. Marred by a coup, the Shiv Sena has already extended support to the NDA candidate.
Weeks into the campaign, the Opposition candidate has been left out in the cold. Despite being from Jharkhand, Sinha is facing an existential threat in the tribal state. The JMM has remained mum and the Congress leaders are mumbling over the party leadership playing second fiddle to other parties. The fear of cross voting looms large.
“I have fought against him (Sinha) my whole life and now the Congress will ask us to vote for him,” said a Congress leader, who fought the MLA elections against him from Hazaribagh.
Lack of vision
This could perhaps explain the sudden lull in the Opposition camp before the monsoon session. “This is not a failure in any strategy but a lack of vision. I had told them earlier that we should wait for the BJP’s candidate and I am saying it again that we should wait for the other side to make the move then only one can counter effectively.”
The names of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Suresh Prabhu, Gulam Nabi Azad and Arif Mohammad Khan are being speculated for the VP post. “The Congress will focus on enrolling all other parties, we want to have a consensus candidate. It is unlikely to be a Congress leader but some eminent person,” said a senior Congress leader.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also been a silent spectator watching the power play from the stands. “We will be announcing in a day or two,” said a senior AAP leader. Whether the ambiguity over the matter is an attempt to downplay the Opposition candidate or to do with the widening rift between TMC and AAP is anybody’s guess.
