In another setback to the opposition, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee announced that his party won’t back Margaret Alva in the vice-presidential election. He said the TMC will abstain from the vice-presidential election. He, however, said there is no question of supporting NDA’s vice-presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar. Banerjee said he objects to the way the Opposition nominee was decided without consulting any senior leaders from the TMC.
“Supporting an NDA (VP) candidate doesn’t even arise. And the way the Opposition candidate was decided, without proper consultation and deliberation with a party that has 35 MPs in both the Houses, we have unanimously decided to abstain from the voting process,” Banerjee said while speakiing to ANI.
On July 17, NCP chief Sharad Pawar announced the name of Margaret Alva for the post of Vice President. He also said that the opposition leaders tried to contact West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee but she was busy in some conference. “We also tried to contact Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. He announced support (for Yashwant Sinha) a few days ago and will announce his support (for Margaret Alva) soon,” he said.
Today, Abhishek Banerjee said Margaret Alva shares a very good equation with Mamata Banerjee, but the Vice-President of the country isn’t going to be elected based on personal equations. “85% of our MPs decided that we should refrain from voting,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
The opposition has already seen cracks in its unity in the presidential election when many parties not part of the NDA backed Droupadi Murmu against Yashwant Sinha. Parties like Uddhav faction of Shiv Sena and JMM, which are in alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra and Jharkhannd respectively, extended their support to Murmu.
Other opposition parties like BJD of Naveen Patnaik, YSRCP of Jagan Mohan Reddy, Akali Dal of Badals, BSP of Mayawati, and soome other MLAs extended their support to NDA’s presidential candidate Murmu.
