Kharge to host INDIA bloc dinner ahead of VP polls; PM Modi plans NDA meet on eve of voting

New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) With the Vice-Presidential election slated for September 9, political activity has intensified in New Delhi. Congress President and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, will host a dinner meeting for Members of Parliament (MPs) from the INDIA bloc on Monday evening at the Parliament Annexe.

The gathering is aimed at consolidating opposition unity and reaffirming support for their candidate, former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy.

Justice Reddy, a distinguished jurist from Hyderabad, has also secured the backing of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. “Telangana CM spoke to me and requested support for Justice Sudershan Reddy as Vice President. We will support him — a respected jurist and fellow Hyderabadi,” Owaisi announced on X.

The contest will be between Reddy, representing the united opposition, and the NDA’s pick, CP Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu.

The Vice President’s post became vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down due to health concerns on July 21, at the start of the Monsoon Session. The election will be conducted through a secret ballot by an electoral college comprising all Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, as mandated under Article 66 of the Constitution.

On the NDA front, the BJP has mobilised its MPs well ahead of the election. All BJP lawmakers were asked to report in Delhi by September 6. BJP President JP Nadda hosted a dinner for party MPs that evening, followed by a two-day workshop for NDA MPs on September 7 and 8 at the Parliament complex.

The series of events will culminate in a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for NDA MPs at his official residence on the evening of September 8 — a final show of unity ahead of the high-stakes Vice Presidential election.

--IANS

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