Venkaiah Naidu was a unanimous pick for the position of Vice President by the BJP and its allies. He has been pitted against the opposition Congress's VP candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi. PM Narendra Modi has also tweeted his admiration for Venkaiah Naidu.
It did not come as a big surprise when the BJP picked Union urban development and I&B minister M Venkaiah Naidu as its Vice President nominee. Owing to his extensive experience in politics and the fact that he is respected across parties, he was an easy choice among the politicians.
However, this gives way to a new problem in the central ministries. With Venkaiah Naidu in the Vice Presidential fray, there will be no full-fledged heads for the urban development and the IB ministries. Hence, a cabinet reshuffle is being speculated at the end of the monsoon session.
This also brings into light the scarcity of ministers the NDA government is facing. Ministries of defence and environment are already being handled by Arun Jaitley and science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan - as additional responsibilities.
In fact, highlighting the issue was PM Modi himself who said that he could spare any of his senior cabinet ministers for the highest post and hence decided to nominate Kovind.
Meanwhile, endorsing Venkaiah Naidu for his years of expertise in the field of politics, Modi had tweeted about the admiration he has for his dedication. He had further added, "A fitting candidate for the office of Vice-President."
Naidu has served four times as a member of the RS, member of the AP legislative assembly twice, functioned as the minister for parliamentary affairs under the Modi government, thus making him the ideal choice for NDA and its alliances.
Naidu also seems to have accepted the decision generously. Amit Shah, speaking to the Times of India, said, "He is a disciplined party cadre and accepted the decision happily."
However, this seems to have a greater purpose. Naidu's assignment is expected to send out a message to the Southern states, which are still controlled by non-BJP forces. In other words, BJP's decision will highlight the party's goodwill for the region.
He has been pitted against the opposition Congress's VP candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
