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Will Modi oblige Najma Heptullah's vice-presidential aspirations?

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Javed M Ansari
Javed M AnsariApr 28, 2016 | 22:31

Will Modi oblige Najma Heptullah's vice-presidential aspirations?

The current vice-president's term will come to an end in August next year, about 14 months from now. But some of the aspirants for the cushy post have already begun canvassing for themselves.  Najma Heptullah, the Union minister for minority affairs, is one of them.

That Heptullah has her eyes set on the coveted post for a long time is no secret. What has surprised people is the alacrity with which she has begun canvassing for herself, this early, with still well over a year left for Hamid Ansari to vacate the chair. 

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She has been calling up some of the nominated MPs to ostensibly congratulate them on their becoming members of the upper house. And, in the course of the conversation, has been suggesting that they would get much more opportunities and time to speak in Rajya Sabha if she were in the chair.

"Nominated members hardly get a few minutes to make their point, if I was the chairman you will get much more time to have your say", she has been reported to have told a number of recently nominated Rajya Sabha MPs.  

In Parliament, political parties are allocated time for debates based on their strength in the house. From their share of the time, political parties then decide the duration for which a particular MP will speak in that particular debate. The bigger parties like the Congress and the BJP get the lion's share of the time, while others have to settle for much less. The nominated and independent MPs barely get a few minutes to speak during debates.

najmaheptuallah-embe_042816102558.jpg
Najma Heptullah. 

Najma Heptullah coveting the chairperson's post is understandable. This is her fifth term as a member of the Rajya Sabha and during her time in the Congress party, she was the deputy chairperson of the upper house for 16 years.

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Many believe that she decided to switch to the BJP in 2004, in the hope of becoming the vice-president. It's another matter that the NDA lost the 2004 elections and though the party did field her as its candidate, the BJP could not muster up enough votes and she lost the 2007 vice-president elections to Hamid Ansari.          

The BJP has already made an exception of sorts for her by continuing with her as a minister despite the fact that she is a year older than the 75-year age-limit set by the party for its ministers.

The BJP now has a majority in the Electoral College, and is in a position to elect the vice-presidents of its choice.

Najma Heptullah may have her aspirations, but will Mr Modi oblige?

Last updated: April 29, 2016 | 20:57
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