Venkaiah Naidu is the BJP-NDA nominee for Vice-President election, said Amit Shah.
Naidu, known for being vocal on various issues and for his interesting one-liners and alliterations, kept the matter to himself and his close circle.
PM Modi wanted to nominate someone who has good interactions with opposition parties and well versed with parliamentary issues. That’s why Venkaiah Naidu’s name was nominated. As parliamentary affairs minister, Naidu had built a good rapport with all parties, including Congress. Naidu had even visited UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s residence to seek her support for the goods and services tax bill. His cordial relations with the Opposition parties would help him run the Rajya Sabha smoothly.
Naidu would also be useful as an accessible adviser to Ram Nath Kovind as and when the new President would need help on any issue or precedents. After Kovind, a leader from the north was chosen as NDA presidential candidate, it was expected that BJP would go for a leader from the south for the post of VP.
This decision might help BJP to make routes its routes in South as Naidu belongs to Khamma cast of Andra Pradesh. He has also represented Karnataka in Rajya Sabha. He took an acute interest in the way Centre’s schemes were being implemented, especially in Tamil Nadu, where after Jayalalithaa’s demise the ruling AIADMK is facing a split. Naidu has spoken extensively on matters concerning south, especially on the imposition of Hindi — he endorsed the use of regional languages but warned against those who spread hatred towards Hindi for political mileage.
Surely he is a tough competition for opposition nominee, Gopalkrishna Gandhi.