07-18-2007, 12:57 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Najma among NDA's V-P candidates </b>
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
Pioneer.com
Final decision after Prez poll
The National Democratic Alliance leaders will meet on July 19 evening, after the polling for presidential election, to select the Opposition nominee for the post of the Vice-President.
Announcing this, NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that the question of supporting the UNPA nominee in the vice-residential election did not arise "since the UNPA has already made it clear that it would not seek the NDA support".
"We had offered to support their candidate for the Vice-President's post if they agreed to support Shekhawat. But they turned down our offer," she pointed out.
NDA sources said that the dominant view in the Opposition alliance was to field Rajya Sabha MP Najma Heptullah for the post since she was a woman and also belonged to the minority community.
"She has also demonstrated her ability to conduct the Rajya Sabha proceedings in an impartial manner as the Deputy Chairperson of the House," said a senior BJP leader. However, he hastened to add that Najma has yet to accept the offer.
Among other names doing the round in NDA circles are those of <b>Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charnjit Singh Atwal</b>, NDA sources said.
<b>Sushma Swaraj made it clear that it was yet to be decided if the NDA nominee should be from the BJP or from any of its NDA allies. </b>
"We will decide the question when the NDA leaders meet on the evening of July 19," she said, hinting that if the meeting could not decide on a name, the final choice could be left to NDA chairperson Atal Bihari Vajpayee as there would be little time left for another meeting before the nominations close on July 23.
All the 790 MPs, both in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, will vote on August 10 to choose the next Vice-President of India.
Unlike presidential election, the nominated members of both the Houses are eligible to cast their vote in election for the Vice-President. While the Lok Sabha has two nominated members, the Rajya Sabha has 12.
Except the newly-formed United National Progressive Alliance, which has already declared Rasheed Masood as its candidate, no political party or alliance has so far even started the process of selecting its nominee for the post.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yogesh Vajpeyi | New Delhi
Pioneer.com
Final decision after Prez poll
The National Democratic Alliance leaders will meet on July 19 evening, after the polling for presidential election, to select the Opposition nominee for the post of the Vice-President.
Announcing this, NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that the question of supporting the UNPA nominee in the vice-residential election did not arise "since the UNPA has already made it clear that it would not seek the NDA support".
"We had offered to support their candidate for the Vice-President's post if they agreed to support Shekhawat. But they turned down our offer," she pointed out.
NDA sources said that the dominant view in the Opposition alliance was to field Rajya Sabha MP Najma Heptullah for the post since she was a woman and also belonged to the minority community.
"She has also demonstrated her ability to conduct the Rajya Sabha proceedings in an impartial manner as the Deputy Chairperson of the House," said a senior BJP leader. However, he hastened to add that Najma has yet to accept the offer.
Among other names doing the round in NDA circles are those of <b>Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charnjit Singh Atwal</b>, NDA sources said.
<b>Sushma Swaraj made it clear that it was yet to be decided if the NDA nominee should be from the BJP or from any of its NDA allies. </b>
"We will decide the question when the NDA leaders meet on the evening of July 19," she said, hinting that if the meeting could not decide on a name, the final choice could be left to NDA chairperson Atal Bihari Vajpayee as there would be little time left for another meeting before the nominations close on July 23.
All the 790 MPs, both in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, will vote on August 10 to choose the next Vice-President of India.
Unlike presidential election, the nominated members of both the Houses are eligible to cast their vote in election for the Vice-President. While the Lok Sabha has two nominated members, the Rajya Sabha has 12.
Except the newly-formed United National Progressive Alliance, which has already declared Rasheed Masood as its candidate, no political party or alliance has so far even started the process of selecting its nominee for the post.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->