Opposition's V-P pick may fail Telugu test; YSRCP, TDP set to back NDA name
The Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP, which Monday announced its support for the NDA's pick, C P Radhakrishnan, said it would not be changing its mind.
'Only because the nominee is from undivided Andhra Pradesh, we will not change sides. We have made a decision and will stand by it. The vice-president is for the country and not Andhra Pradesh alone,' a senior YSRCP leader told The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity.
YSRCP Tirupati MP Maddila Gurumoorthy had told The Indian Express that the party had decided to support Radhakrishnan after Jagan received a phone call from Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seeking support.
The YSRCP has four Lok Sabha MPs and seven Rajya Sabha MPs while its Rajampaet MP PV Midhun Reddy is in jail in connection with the alleged AP liquor scam.
The TDP – the NDA's second-largest constituent and YSRCP rival – is also set to support Reddy. With a photo of a TDP delegation meeting Radhakrishan, its general secretary Nara Lokesh posted on X: 'No ambiguity – only warmth, respect, and resolve. The NDA stands united.'
Party sources said that even if some MPs were inclined to vote in favour of a fellow Telugu candidate, they would not do so given that the TDP is 'firmly aligned' with the NDA. 'We have been on the same page with our alliance partners on every issue and this one is no different. Our top leadership has felicitated Radhakrishnan and our stance on the vice-president election will not change. All our MPs from both Houses will toe the party line and vote in the NDA's candidate's favour,' a source said.
In Telangana, from where Justice Reddy hails, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) said it was yet to decide its stand, with MLC Dasoju Sravan saying that party chief K Chandrashekar Rao would take a decision at the appropriate time.
However, sources indicated that the fact that Reddy is from Telangana would not be a factor in the BRS consultations. 'Reddy is the Congress's pick. The Congress is our main rival and is working against the state's interests, so it is unlikely that we will support the Opposition candidate,' a source said.
BRS has no Lok Sabha MP but has four MPs in the Upper House.
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