BJP, on Monday, revealed its Vice Presidential candidate. Venkaiah Naidu. He is heading two Ministries: Ministry of I&B and Ministry of Urban Development.
Venkaiah will be facing Gopal Krishna Gandhi in the Vice Presidential elections where the electoral college has to decide whether to send a Gandhian to head the Rajya Sabha or a farmer activist.
While BJP might have overlooked other prominent figures within the party, choosing Venkaiah Naidu could be a carefully minted and scripted move. Here are few reasons why the BJP could have chosen Venkaiah Naidu as the Vice Presidential candidate:
1A Reward For Loyalty
Venkaiah Naidu is one of the senior most leaders of BJP. He has participated in Jay Prakash Narayan’s movement against Indira Gandhi. Although he is senior to Modi in age and experience, he has always remained loyal to Modi and consequently the party.
He is seen praising the PM whenever he gets time and in whatever manner he can. In fact, he is considered as closest proxy to Modi after Shah.
So it wouldn’t be a shock if he is rewarded with the seat of VP.
2To Handle Rajya Sabha Where BJP Does Not Have Majority
Having an explicit majority in Lok Sabha, BJP hardly gets any trouble in passing their Bills or moving an agenda. The problem arrives when the Bill reaches Rajya Sabha where BJP still does not have a majority.
(Vice President is ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha.)
Thus, they need someone well-experienced, loyal and one with similar ideology. Venkaiah would be able to match his Lok Sabha counterpart, Sumitra Mahajan.
3To Gain Confidence of South Indians
Let’s get this fact straight. BJP is not popular among South Indians. No South Indian state has BJP government except for Goa, where they seized the opportunity because, well, Congress leadership is incompetent af.
Venkaiah Naidu belongs to Andhra Pradesh. He has ground level knowledge of South India and for years has been leading the causes there. He understands the language and people.
Hence, he could be BJP’s bluff for South India.
4To Present Itself As Pro-Farmer
The Bhartiya Janta Party and the present government are having a hard time in assuring the farmers that the government is with them. With several farmer movements being organised across the country demanding Minimum Support Price (MSP) as promised by the BJP during elections, it is not able to gain the confidence of the farmers and the other parties are taking advantage of this.
To project itself as pro-Dalit, it has chosen Ram Nath Kovind. For pro-farmer, they chose Venkaiah Naidu who is a champion of farmer causes and has served as Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the Atal Bihari government.
Also Read: How Well Has Hamid Ansari Served The Nation As The Vice President
5To Keep Him Away From Speaking Rubbish
There’s no if and but to this. We have to accept this: Venkaiah Naidu has said too many illogical and unscrupulous things in the recent past. It could be a hazard for BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections.
Vice President doesn’t speak much. He isn’t supposed to make stupid remarks, to maintain the dignity of the post, perhaps.
6To Make Way For Young Leaders
Venkaiah is 68.
And has been in political action for a while now.
If not retired (or stopped) now, he could be one of the famous faces in the next elections too. And that would cause sidelining of young leaders of the party. But India needs youth, right?
So, I wish a healthy farewell to Venkaiah Ji’s political life and a warm welcome to his upcoming political retirement.
Image Credits: Google Images
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