Vice-Presidential election 2017: RSS in favour of fielding candidate from upper caste, South India

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is believed to be in favour of fielding a Vice-Presidential candidate who belong to upper caste and south India.  

It is being considered that RSS has given this suggestion because NDA has fielded a Dalit candidate Ram Nath Kovind for Presidential position. Ram Nath Kovind also belong to North India.

As per the sources in BJP, RSS’s first choice is Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. RSS believes that Vidyasagar can be frontrunner as he is having good amount of experience in public life.

BJP’s leader from Telangana, C Vidyasagar Rao has earlier held the positions of MoS Home Affairs in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

On Thursday, BJP president Amit Shah met senior RSS leaders Bhaiyyaji Joshi and Krishna Gopal and discussed the issue.

According to sources, the three met at Keshav Kunj — the RSS headquarters in Delhi — and held an hour-long discussion on the "qualifications" of the candidate to be nominated for the 5 August vice-presidential election.

Shah, who is in Delhi as part of his 110-day-long nationwide tour, is expected to convey the RSS' choice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The issue is to be discussed at the BJP parliamentary board meeting before the announcement.

The BJP is expected to hold a meeting of its Parliamentary Board in a day or two.

With the last date for filing nomination papers for the vice-presidential election being 18 July, the BJP is likely to announce its candidate by Saturday. The monsoon session of Parliament is beginning on Monday, the day of the Presidential election.

The scrutiny of nomination papers for the vice-presidential election will take place on 19 July. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is 21 July.

With Opposition parties announcing the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as their nominee, a contest for the vice-president post is imminent.

Also read: Vice-presidential poll 2017: Sonia, Rahul call Nitish, thank for backing Gopal Krishna Gandhi