Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance will finalise its vice presidential nominee Monday amid Najma Heptulla’s name doing the rounds, party leaders said.

The BJP will consult its allies at a meeting in the capital even as the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has already decided to re-nominate incumbent Hamid Ansari for the post.

BJP leaders said that the meeting of NDA allies have been scheduled Monday following which the combine will announce its candidate.

“We have decided to contest the vice presidential election. We will announce our candidate after due deliberations and consulting our allies,” said BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar.

With the BJP deciding to fight the poll, Ansari, won’t get a walkover and a contest is imminent.

BJP sources said that the party was considering the Janata Dal-United president and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav and BJP leader Najma Heptullah.

Heptullah unsuccessfully contested for the post against Ansari in 2007.

Sharad Yadav is unlikely to contest as his party has already indicated that it may support Ansari.

The JD-U and another NDA ally, Shiv Sena, broke ranks with the BJP to support UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee for the July 19 presidential poll. However, the Shiv Sena has indicated it will back the NDA candidate for vice president.

The Trinamool Congress, which is on a rough patch with the Congress, has suggested the names of former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose’s niece and former Lok Sabha member Krishna Bose.