Won’t support NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan in vice-presidential polls, says Sharad Pawar

The election to the post of vice president, which fell vacant with the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, is set to be conducted on September 9.

Fadnavis had earlier called Pawar requesting his support for the NDA candidate. The chief minister had also dialled Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray seeking his party’s support for Radhakrishnan in the upcoming polls. Thackeray too declined the request.

“I remember when he (Radhakrishnan) was the governor of Jharkhand, then Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested inside the Raj Bhavan when he had gone to meet the governor, despite Soren’s repeated requests not to do it there. A person who wields power in such a manner cannot be supported,” Pawar stated.

The NCP(SP) chief said that the Opposition INDIA bloc has fielded former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy as its candidate.

Asked if political parties from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana might vote for Reddy since he hails from the former region, Pawar said he did not know about other parties. “As far as numbers are concerned, it is known that we have less numbers than the NDA in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. But we have decided to fight the election and we will vote for the INDIA bloc candidate,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Fadnavis told reporters that he had called both Pawar and Thackeray seeking the support of their parties for the vice-presidential elections, and reminding the two leaders that Radhakrishnan is also a registered voter in Maharashtra.