Parties such as the JD(S), TDP, YSRCP cited 'women empowerment' to back Murmu. Will they now support a Christian woman?
Published Jul 20, 2022 | 2:22 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 28, 2022 | 2:10 PM
Opposition's candidate Margaret Alva after filing nomination for Vice President polls (Supplied)
“There is a gnawing feeling among the Christian community that they aren’t given equal representation in the Congress, especially in states like Karnataka. That needs to be addressed,” Margaret Alva had told this reporter barely a few months ago.
As if struck by an epiphany, the Congress on Sunday proposed Alva’s name as a candidate in the election for India’s next Vice President.
In a meeting at the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s residence, Alva was declared as the opposition’s pick to run against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankar.
If the NDA fielded a woman candidate from a tribal community — Droupadi Murmu — as its Presidential candidate, the opposition has now chosen a woman from a minority community as its Vice Presidential candidate.
In the Presidential election that was held on Monday, many southern political outfits such as the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and the Janata Dal (Secular) or the JD(S) voted for Murmu.
While the AIADMK voted for Murmu since it is part of the NDA, others like the JD(S) and the TDP claimed they voted for her on the basis of ‘social justice’ and ‘women representation’.
With Alva’s candidature for the post of Vice President, opposition parties have given ample space for ‘social justice’ and ‘women representation’. For political parties from South India, there is the added point of Alva hailing from Karnataka.
With Vice President Venkaiah Nadu — a renowned leader from Andhra Pradesh — set to retire, the NDA’s pick to replace him is Dhankar, who hails from Rajasthan.
The opposition has however picked someone from South India, a woman, and a Christian — ticking off all boxes of interest for southern parties.
We would like to support someone from Karnataka, Bandeppa Kashempur, a senior leader of the JD(S), told South First.
“We have two votes — HD Devegowda and Prajwal Revanna. We voted for Murmu because she is a woman tribal leader. Devegowda will decide on support for Alva but it all depends on how the Congress takes us along,” he said.
Opposition’s candidate Margaret Alva filing nomination for Vice President polls on Tuesday (Supplied)
For Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, his Christian identity has been used as a weapon by the TDP as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to attack him politically. Reddy’s YSRCP voted for the NDA’s Murmu in the Presidential polls.
Whether the party stands firm with the NDA or supports a woman Christian candidate like Alva in the Vice Presidential election will go a long way in deciding future political alliances.
The YSRCP has 22 members in the Lok Sabha and nine in the Rajya Sabha eligible to vote in the polls.
The TDP, the main opposition party in Andhra Pradesh, also voted in favour of Murmu. It is keen on examining the situation closely.
Asked whether the TDP would vote for Alva, Prof Jyothsna Tirunagari, a senior leader of the TDP, told South First, “Social justice and women empowerment were considered by our party in the Presidential polls. It may be too premature to talk about the Vice President election, but in a couple of days, we will decide on whom to support and on what basis. It is a dynamic situation.”
The TDP has three members in Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha.
While parties like the TDP, the YSRCP and the JD(S) cited ‘women empowerment’ to support Murmu, the Congress and its allies in the South aren’t convinced.
Former Kerala chief minister and Congress in-charge of Andhra Pradesh Oommen Chandy votes in the Presidential election on 18 July. Asked about support for Alva from South India in the Vice President election, he said the situation is likely to remain the same as the Presidential poll
“If women empowerment and social justice were truly the reason for them to support Murmu then it should encourage them to support Alva, who is also from a minority community,” Dinesh Gundu Rao, AICC Secretary in-charge of Tamil Nadu and Goa, told South First
While all outfits in Kerala voted for Yashwant Sinha, all parties in Andhra Pradesh voted for Murmu. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK chose Murmu while the ruling coalition led by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) voted for Sinha. In Telangana, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the All India Majlis-e-Itteadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) stood firmly behind Sinha while Karnataka saw the JD(S) voting for the NDA’s candidate.
Former Kerala chief minister and Congress general secretary Oommen Chandy too sees no change in electoral prospects. “In states like Andhra Pradesh, we have no support. They are clearly with the BJP,” Chandy, who is also AICC in-charge of the state, told South First.
Unlike in the Presidential election where all elected members of state Assemblies as well as Parliament cast their votes, the Vice President election is limited to MPs. All members of both Houses of Parliament, elected or nominated, are eligible to vote in the election for the Vice President.
Currently, the five southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana account for 24.61 percent of the total members of Lok Sabha. The number is 23.6 percent for Rajya Sabha.
In Rajya Sabha, Andhra Pradesh has 11 members, Karnataka 12, Kerala nine, Tamil Nadu 18, and Telangana seven. In Lok Sabha, Andhra Pradesh has 25 members, Karnataka 28, Kerala 20, Tamil Nadu 39, and Telangana 17.
