Johnson Cherian.
The vice-presidential election, scheduled for Saturday, may look like it is in the bag for the ruling NDA, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking no chances.
On Friday evening, he will meet all MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the parties that have pledged support to its candidate M. Venkaiah Naidu at the G.M.C. Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament House complex.
The meeting will be different from the routine as it involves a mock voting with replicas of the ballot.
Two names
“There were 21 invalid votes polled in the presidential election, and many of them were from the BJP. It was felt, therefore, that there should be a demo of the voting process again,” said a senior office-bearer of the BJP.
The ballot will have the names of Mr. Naidu and Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Mr. Modi will take part in the exercise as an MP.
At the meeting, all constituents of the NDA will express their support for Mr. Naidu. This will be followed by a cultural programme and a dinner. The cultural programme is being arranged by Union Minister Mahesh Sharma.
