Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday emphasised the significance of the upcoming Vice Presidential election, stating that the country must “uphold the dignity of the post by choosing a suitable person.”
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During a press conference, Thackeray said, “The upcoming elections are important for the country because we have to vote to maintain the dignity of the post of vice-president. We need a suitable person for that post. We don’t know what happened to the former vice-president that he had to suddenly resign… We will vote unanimously in favour of the INDIA bloc candidate.”
This comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reached out to both Uddhav Thackeray and NCP-SP leader Sharad Pawar to seek their support for the NDAโs Vice Presidential candidate, CP Radhakrishnan.
When speaking with reporters, Fadnavis confirmed, “I spoke to Uddhav Thackery ji and Sharad Pawar ji and requested them to support Maharashtra Governor’s (CP Radhakrishnan) candidature for Vice Presidential elections. Uddhav ji told me that he will discuss and let me know. Sharad Pawar ji said that he will have to go with the candidate fielded by the Opposition.”
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On August 21, the INDIA blocโs Vice Presidential nominee and former Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy filed his nomination papers. He described the moment as an honour and pledged to discharge the role with impartiality, dignity, and a steadfast commitment, if elected. Reddy submitted his nomination in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
In a statement released after filing his nomination, Reddy said, “Today, I had the honour of filing my nomination papers for the office of the vice-president of India as a joint candidate of the Opposition parties. I did so with a deep sense of humility, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in our Constitution.โ
The election for the vice-president of India will be a direct contest between Justice Reddy, who is backed by the INDIA bloc, and the NDAโs nominee, CP Radhakrishnan. The Election Commission had previously announced that polling would take place on September 9, with the counting of votes to happen the same day.
The Vice Presidential post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons. However, some speculation has emerged about the abruptness of the resignation.
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Recently, Sudershan Reddy said that the election for the vice-president is not a battle between individuals but a “clash of ideology.” He added that he has “nothing personal against” the NDA candidate, and that the contest is “between two different ideologies.โ
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