Opposition mulls TN v/s TN in V-P poll, will take final call today

Opposition leaders could well be mulling the prospect of making the September 9 vice-presidential election a contest between two Tamil Nadu personalities.

After a preliminary meeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted at his residence this evening to discuss the V-P nominee, another opposition meeting will be held on Tuesday afternoon to take the final call.

Sources said the DMK had proposed for the post acclaimed scientist Mylswamy Annadurai, who has worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Another source said DMK leader in Rajya Sabha Tiruchi Siva was also in contention, though nothing was final and all names were only in the realm of discussions.

Siva, when contacted after the joint opposition press conference against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar today, declined to comment. He said his leadership would decide the way forward.

A preliminary discussion on the names happened at the meeting at Kharge’s house, attended by Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi and other opposition leaders while DMK chief MK Stalin and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee are learnt to have joined online.

The developments came a day after the ruling BJP-led NDA named Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its V-P nominee and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh dialled Kharge to seek consensus on the candidate.

Radhakrishnan, a seasoned RSS hand, is Tiruppur born and the BJP hopes to send a message of solidarity to Tamil Nadu with his selection. The state will go to the polls next year.

In Chennai, DMK leader TKS Elangovan accused the BJP of seeking political gains in Tamil Nadu by nominating Radhakrishnan. He said the nomination was not done with the interests of Tamil Nadu at heart, but was meant to “deceive the state people”.

AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami, on the other hand, urged all MPs from Tamil Nadu to vote for Radhakrishnan. The Tamil Nadu BJP went a step further to state that the DMK’s act of not backing Radhakrishnan would not be “pardonable at all”. As Elangovan argued that the DMK, as the largest alliance partner of opposition INDIA bloc, must stay with the coalition on the issue, BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan said the DMK, two decades ago also, committed a “historic blunder” by failing to back then NDA nominee APJ Abdul Kalam’s candidature for the President’s post.

“Another opportunity is beckoning the DMK and they should now support a Tamilian for the office of the V-P,” she said.

Meanwhile, DMK ally MDMK’s general secretary Vaiko sent “happy wishes” to Radhakrishnan and said, “Since the Maharashtra Governor is a Tamilian and a cultured man respected by all across parties, the MDMK will back him.”