Mumbai : Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday firmly rejected Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ request to support NDA’s Vice-Presidential nominee, CP Radhakrishnan, citing ideological differences.
At a press conference, Pawar alleged that Radhakrishnan had misused his powers as Jharkhand Governor during the 2024 arrest of then Chief Minister Hemant Soren, undermining democratic values. “We cannot support those who do not believe in democracy,” Pawar asserted, making it clear that his party would back the Opposition’s candidate.
Fadnavis had also reached out to Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who said he would discuss the matter before taking a decision. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence that Radhakrishnan would prove to be an “outstanding” Vice President after the NDA nominee filed his papers on Wednesday.
The Vice Presidential election is scheduled for September 9, with counting on the same day. The post fell vacant following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21 due to health reasons.
