Opposition Set to Announce Joint VP Candidate, Likely Tamil Nadu Face Against NDA’s Radhakrishnan

After another round of meetings, Opposition parties are likely to declare their joint vice-presidential candidate on Tuesday in what is likely to be a "south versus south" contest for the post.

On Monday night, a number of opposition leaders gathered at the home of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss names for their joint vice-presidential candidate. One's names, including ones from Tamil Nadu, were proposed.

According to PTI, the leaders of some opposition parties, including Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, were contacted earlier in the day by Defence Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh to ask for their support in voting for C P Radhakrishnan's candidacy.

PTI reported that according to insiders, the opposition is probably going to run a joint candidate for vice president on September 9.  For the second-highest constitutional post, it seeks to field a non-political candidate with national prominence and prestige.

According to the sources, senior DMK leaders have suggested a well-respected Tamil Nadu-born scientist from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the vice-president position.  This candidate has the support of Congress.

Although other opposition leaders have not yet been consulted, the name of senior DMK leader Tiruchi Siva is also making the rounds.

However, Siva declined to comment, stating that his leadership will decide how to proceed.

Radhakrishnan, the NDA's nominee, comes from Tamil Nadu, which will hold elections in 2026.

The meeting at Kharge's home took place one day after Maharashtra Governor Radhakrishnan was named the vice-presidential candidate by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The conference was attended by opposition figures, including M A Baby, general secretary of the CPI(M), Derek O'Brien of the TMC, Prem Chand Gupta of the RJD, Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Kanimozhi of the DMK, and Vijay Hansda of the JMM Lok Sabha.

Senior Congress officials, including Kharge, also spoke with other party leaders.  They discussed various names with them over the phone.

Later, Congress national secretary for communications Jairam Ramesh said that Tuesday will see another gathering of opposition leaders.

"A meeting of leaders of all Opposition parties in Parliament will be held at 12:30 PM tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug 19th, at 10, Rajaji Marg," Ramesh said in a post on X. He, however, did not divulge any further details.

Following a meeting of the party's parliamentary board on Sunday, BJP president J P Nadda announced Radhakrishnan's candidacy and stated that the NDA will consult with the opposition parties in order to reach an agreement for the vice-presidential election.

In anticipation of the Assembly election in the southern state next year, the BJP has put forward a candidate from Tamil Nadu in the hopes that the ruling DMK will back its choice. But the DMK is probably going to surprise everyone by revealing the identity of another Tamil Nadu candidate for the position.

The opposition bloc in India, led by the Congress, had already declared that it would run a joint "non-political" candidate.

September 9 is set aside for the vice-presidential election, which was made necessary by incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt departure last month.  Nominations must be submitted by August 21.