BJP parliamentary board to meet on August 17 to finalise NDA's VP candidate

NEW DELHI: Giving a final push towards the selection of the consensus candidate for Vice President, members of the BJP Parliamentary Board will convene on the evening of August 17 to finalise the NDA's candidate for the post of Vice President of India. At a meeting held at the residence of BJP National President JP Nadda on Friday, senior BJP leaders including Union Cabinet Ministers for Home and Defence gathered for hours to deliberate on the Vice Presidential candidature. The NDA has entrusted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP Chief JP Nadda with the responsibility of deciding on the candidate for this second-highest constitutional position, and the alliance partners are expected to unequivocally support the chosen nominee. Sources stated on Friday evening that Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and other ministers, along with JP Nadda, held extensive discussions regarding the Vice Presidential pick. It is believed that a few names have been considered and one of them would finally be consensused at the NDA meeting, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday evening, remarked a senior BJP source. He also said that the names of former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and RSS ideologue and senior BJP member Sheshadri Chari, along with a few current and former governors, are among those being discussed. Meanwhile, the BJP has instructed all Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers from NDA-ruled states to be in Delhi on 21 August for the filing of nomination papers for the alliances Vice Presidential candidate. Before this, an NDA dinner party is likely to be held on 20 August, during which the name of the consensus candidate will be approved and announced. The BJP has also asked its MPs from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha to remain in Delhi between 6 and 9 September to attend a workshop on voting procedures for the Vice Presidential election at the BJP headquarters.