Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) plans to remain neutral in the upcoming election for India’s Vice-President scheduled for September 9. The party has decided not to support either the NDA or the INDI Alliance at the national level.
Sources indicate that BRS will not align with any national political alliances. The leadership is focused on supporting issues that benefit Telangana. The BJP has nominated Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, while the Congress has chosen former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudarshan Reddy.
The AIMIM is backing the INDI Alliance candidate. In the last Vice-Presidential election, BRS (formerly TRS) supported Margaret Alva from Congress against Jagdeep Dhankhar. Previously, they also supported M Venkaiah Naidu from the NDA.
This time, BRS aims to remain independent. A senior leader mentioned that BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao will likely make a decision to emphasize the party’s neutral stance. BRS holds four significant votes in the Rajya Sabha for selecting the next Vice-President.
At a recent press event, BRS working president KT Rama Rao stated the party would only support candidates ensuring 2 lakh metric tonnes of urea before September 9. “No alliance has approached us yet, but we prioritize Telangana farmers’ interests. If Congress nominates a candidate, we will oppose it,” he said. KTR emphasized that BRS is not aligned with either NDA or INDIA blocs, declaring, “We are an independent party. The people of Telangana are our only bosses.”
KTR also criticized Congress for not nominating a BC leader for the Vice-Presidential role, accusing them of hypocrisy regarding social justice. “They could have chosen intellectuals like Kancha Ilaiah or any prominent BC leader,” he added.
Senior leader B Vinod Kumar mentioned that no discussions have occurred with the BRS chief about the election. He noted there is still time before the election, and the party will decide appropriately when necessary.
