NDA is jittery ahead of VP polls as there is unease among Andhra, Telangana MPs: Raut

Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday claimed the BJP was contacting INDIA bloc parties to seek support in the vice presidential election, as there was "unease" among NDA MPs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and it fears cross-voting.

Just as the Shiv Sena, then a BJP ally, supported the Congress-led UPA's candidate Pratibha Patil in the 2007 presidential election because she was from Maharashtra, the NDA fears that MPs from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana might support Opposition candidate Sudershan Reddy, he hinted.

"Are you (NDA) scared that there will be cross-voting?….there will be cross-voting by duplicate Shiv Sena (a reference to the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde)….There is majority on paper (for the NDA) but the (Opposition) candidate is from Andhra Pradesh. There is uneasiness (among MPs) in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh," Raut said.

"Due to the atmosphere created by Rahul Gandhi in the country, in Bihar and many other places, there is a possibility of cross-voting," he added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar earlier this week, seeking their support in the September 9 vice presidential election.

Commenting on it, Raut said the Bharatiya Janata Party was seeking votes from the very same parties "which it split".

Calls to Thackeray and Pawar was part of political courtesy in such elections, the Rajya Sabha MP said, adding that the Sena (UBT) will vote for the Opposition candidate.

Thackeray has taken a firm stand of fighting against "dictatorship", he said.

"You (the NDA) claim that you have the majority…. Why are you seeking votes and what right do you have to do that," Raut said.

The NDA has fielded Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan for the vice-presidential polls, while the INDIA bloc has fielded former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy.