Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 9 : Extending support to the Opposition's candidate B Sudershan Reddy, DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai, on Tuesday, said that the choices of candidates in the Vice Presidential election is a "reminder" of who cares for the country.
Notably, the INDIA Bloc's candidate Sudershan Reddy is in the electoral fray against the NDA's CP Radhakrishnan.
"The choice of candidates in the vice presidential election is a reminder of who cares for the country. On one hand, we have a retired Supreme Court judge who speaks of high constitutional values, while on the other hand, we have an RSS 'Pracharak'," Annadurai told ANI.
He further questioned the sudden resignation of the former Vice President, calling it the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP's) disregard for constitutional norms, further stating that the win of BJP candidate CP Radhakrishnan should not befall the same fate as Jagdeep Dhankar.
"There are many claims regarding the former vice-president that he is under house arrest. Why was he forced to resign? ...This unceremonious exit clearly shows the BJP's disregard for constitutional norms... If CP Radhakrishnan wins, he should not befall the same fate as Jagdeep Dhankhar... We should respect the constitution and institutions created by it. Sudarshan Reddy is one such candidate... INDIA bloc stands for the policies and principles..." he further added.
Meanwhile, polling to elect the 15th Vice President is underway in the Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived at Parliament House right as voting started at 10 AM, was the first person to cast his vote. The counting of votes is set to happen at 6 PM in the same room where the voting took place.
The contest is between the NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan and the joint Opposition candidate, former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy.
Leaders across party lines, from Union Ministers to Opposition leaders, took part, giving their choice for the VP candidate through a paper ballot.
Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Kiren Rijiju also cast their vote. The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who was presiding over the upper house proceedings in the absence of the Vice President, also cast his vote among others.
From the Opposition's side, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Parliamentary party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Priyanka Gandhi, and Jairam Ramesh cast their vote in the morning. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, among others also voted.
Jailed Baramulla MP, known as 'Engineer Rashid' got special permission from court to allow him to cast his vote.
The election comes 50 days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as the Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.