Apex court affirms principle of accountability as an essential part of rule of law. Supreme Court regrets NHRC reduced to a toothless tiger. 

In a far reaching directive, the Supreme Court has come down heavily against extra-judicial killings urging the Centre to address the concerns of the National Human Rights Commission. It has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe more than 80 cases of suspected extra-judicial killings in Manipur. 
The Apex court expressed concern about the NHRC being reduced to a toothless tiger. What the legal fraternity finds encouraging is the Supreme Court affirming the principle of accountability being an essential part of the rule of law and that encounter killings cannot be overlooked owing to lapse of time. 
These cases involved either suspected fake encounters or the use of excessive or retaliatory force. The court has turned down attempts by the government to stall any probe into these deaths on the ground they were too old to be raked up now. The state cannot take advantage of its own inaction and scuttle a probe by citing delay as a reason.
Inexplicably there is a certain disbelief about putting an end to extra-judicial killings or deaths in encounters. International human rights law prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of life under any circumstances. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”. 
Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) holds that “every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life”. Article 4 of the ICCPR states that this right cannot be waived “even in times of public emergency threatening the life of a nation”. 
The government ratified the ICCPR in 1979 and in doing so India is obliged not only to respect the right to life in principle but also take effective measures to ensure that extra-judicial killings do not occur in practice. Although the Right to Life is enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution, the prevalence of extra-judicial killings shows the government has failed to take effective measures ensuring the right to life is adhered to in practice. 
The government has failed to ensure adequate investigation of all complaints and reports of extra-judicial killings. Proper investigation is a critical factor in the prevention of alleged encounter killings and without adequate investigation of complaints there is hardly any hope of prosecuting and convicting the perpetrators. 
Even as the government has not demonstrated a commitment in ensuring that all complaints of extra-judicial killing are adequately investigated, the NHRC has failed in being effective in combating extra-judicial killings. This is also on account of its guidelines not being followed by police in all the cases of encounter killings. 
Studies by several human rights organisations about extra-judicial killings by police in this country observed that such killings are not isolated but occur throughout the country. Last year the court had ruled that the armed forces cannot escape investigation for excesses even in places where they enjoy special powers, and that the legal protection provided by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) will have to yield to the principles of human rights. 
The Apex court made the call last week after hearing a PIL seeking a probe and compensation for about 1,530 alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur from 2000 to 2012 by the army, para-military and police forces. On its part the government has failed to show the commitment in bringing to book those responsible for extra-judicial killings. 
The situation under AFSPA is so hostile to the concept of human rights that in many of these cases there was no inquiry at all. It will be difficult for the investigators to get to the bottom of these incidents. The difficulties encountered cannot be the reason for denying or putting off a formal criminal investigation as required. Notwithstanding the time lapse, Justice must be served with prosecution in as many cases as possible.  

( T R Ramachandran is senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)

NEW DELHI: The Government on Friday said that it has not only put stringent norms over Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) emissions norms from mobile towers but has also set a well-structured process and mechanism in place to make the Telecommunication Service Providers strictly adhere to limits.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha , Minister of State for Communication Manoj Sinha said that, all the new Base Transceiver Stations(BTS) start functioning commercially only after adhering to the set norms and furbishing certificates to the relevant Telecom Enforcement Resources and Monitoring’s(TERM) field office of the Department of Telecommunication(DoT).
In case of any EMF norms violation by the BTS site, a penalty of Rs 10 lakh per BTS site is imposed along with shutting down of the concerned site.
Mr Sinha also said that, in accordance with the World Health Organisation(WHO) reviews, the EMF exposures below the recommended limits as per International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s (ICNIRP) international guidelines do not have any known consequence to human health.
” In India, the norms for exposure limits for the Radio Frequency Field(Base Station Emissions) are already ten times more stringent than the safe limits prescribed by ICNIRP and recommended by WHO”, he said.
This further averts the need for having separate norms in residential localities for installation of the cell phone towers, he added.

NEW DELHI : A new discovery by India’s space telescope, Astrosat, has dashed hopes of alien life on our nearest stellar neighbour, Proxima Centauri. Highly energetic flare simultaneously observed by Astrosat and NASA’s space telescopes on Proxima means it is not habitable as thought till now. 

Astronomers say the strong flare observed on Proxima Centauri On May 31 rules out alien life on this exoplanet. “It makes it highly improbable for earth like life forms to exist there, unless we find special radiation resistant life forms” observed Prof. K.P. Singh of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, who was involved in the discovery.

Proxima Centauri, the nearest exoplanet discovered till date, is not much larger than the Earth and is mostly likely a rocky planet. It has been orbiting in the so-called “habitable zone” that astronomers think could harbour life. Some even ventured to claim that perhaps the first alien we would encounter would come from this planet. 

All such hopes were dashed on 31 May when joint observation by Astrosat along with Chandra X ray space telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and a ground-based observatory High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) observed a very intense flare resulting from an explosion on its surface. 

The star is known to flare often, but the flare that was observed in May lasted for about 1800 seconds and released energy in the order of 10³⁰ erg. “The typical energy released during a solar flare is of the order of 10^26-28 erg. That means this flare is hundred times that of those seen on the Sun,” pointed out Prof Singh “If a flare like the one observed on Proxima Centauri occurs on our Sun it might disrupt power grids, broadcast and electricity on the earth and also affect astronauts in space.”

Powerful and frequent flaring events, as seen on Proxima, may produce large radiations and particles which may significantly influence its atmosphere habitability, according to Prof Jürgen Schmitt, another member of the research team.

The hefty flare observed on the surface of Proxima Centauri spewed a dash of strong X rays and far-UV rays, ten times the normal, bathing the planet in a rain of deadly radiation. “The high-energy photons like the UV and X-ray photons are absorbed by the planetary atmosphere heating it to 10s of 1000s of Kelvin affecting the capability of the planet to sustain its atmosphere and in particular to sustain water in liquid form,” pointed out Dr. Lalitha Sairam of Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.

Not more than five to ten times the mass of Earth, revolving around a star just 12% as massive as our Sun and 0.1% as bright, Proxima Centauri may not be that appealing. Given an orbital period of just 11 days, the exoplanet was thought to be warm enough but not close by to be scorching hot. The host star, Proxima Centauri, is joined by stars Alpha Centauri A and B, 15000 astronomical units (AU) away in creating a multi-star system. Thus from the planet, one would have been able to see three ‘sun’s floating in the sky. All would be fine if these stars were well behaved. But it is known that Proxima Centauri flares frequently. 

In ‘cool dwarfs’ like Proxima Centauri, as a result of fluctuating magnetic reconnection on its surface, large amount energy and ionic particles are released all around. Such events called as “flaring” can have timescales of few minutes to hours. 

The Indian team had another special reason for being happy with this observation. “For first time, Astrosat is part of such a large observing campaign with other space-based observatories like Chandra and Hubble,” said Prof Singh, who developed the Soft X-ray Telescope which is on board Astrosat. (India Science Wire) 

Union Home ministry explains Karnataka already has a state flag which represents the people and not the government. Siddaramaiah government constitutes nine-member committee to study state flag issue in its entirety. 

A major controversy has erupted in Karnataka about having an official flag for the state. It has led to allegations of subverting the national Tricolour though there is nothing in the Constitution about a state having its own flag or otherwise. 

State chief minister P C Siddaramaiah heading the Congress government in Karnataka emphasised that nothing unconstitutional was afoot and no decision has been taken one way or the other about the state flag. 

However, a nine-member committee under the state’s Culture ministry has been constituted to study the issue in its entirety and submit a report. The BJP being in the opposition remained nonchalant about the state flag 

dismissing it as a gimmick in the run up to the assembly elections due in May next year.

Other opposition leaders like H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(U) maintained there is no provision in the Constitution for a state flag. Three years back in 2014, Patil Puttappa, a veteran journalist in his nineties and Bheemappa Gundappa, a 56-year-old RTI activist, made a demand for an official flag for Karnataka. 

Last month on the sixth June the state’s Kannada and Culture department notified the setting up of a nine-member committee to examine the feasibility and legal issues about the demand for a state flag. 

The local media sought to project it as an effort by the Congress government to subvert the national flag and the law that only allows Jammu and Kashmir to have its own flag.  

BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje alleged the state government was going against the nation by looking into the demand for a state flag. The Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande has demanded that the Centre should take up this matter of a separate state flag for Karnataka seriously and make a strong intervention in the matter.  

BJP leaders charged the Congress with whipping up Kannada pride ahead of the 2018 assembly elections in Karnataka. In the national capital a senior Congress leader observed it was out of the question for the party to accept a separate flag for Karnataka or any other state. At the same time the AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka K C Venugopal played down the controversy saying “the chief minister has already given a clarification. They have not decided anything. The Committee will see whether the demand is admissible as the legal points have to be looked into”. 

It may be recalled that Karnataka has had an official state flag since the mid-1960s. The Red and Yellow flag was created by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada political party though many parties representing non-Kannadigas now had flags of their own.

Those familiar with the issue of Kannada identity, the recent developments are attempts to build a broader identity base for the Congress. The anti-Hindi sentiment in Karnataka is being viewed as part of this particularly the use of Hindi at metro stations in Bengaluru. 

Impartial observers believe that pro-Kannada activists have virtually adopted the red and yellow flag as a symbol of state pride. Nevertheless the Sadananda Gowda led BJP government in 2012 had informed the Karnataka High Court that it has not accepted the suggestions in declaring the bi-colour Kanada flag as the state’s official flag, as 

having a separate flag would be against the unity and integrity of the country. 

Simultaneously, as a measure of  abundant caution, the Union Home ministry clarified that “We are one nation, one flag. Legally there is no provision either for providing or prohibiting a separate flag for any state”. 

It was explained Karnataka already has a flag which only “represents the people and not the government”. The flag is not used in national ceremonies like the Republic Day or Independence Day but on occasions like the state foundation day, the ministry added.

( T R Ramachandran is senior journalist and commentator. The views are personal.)

Researchers have found that two-thirds of the birds breeding in poultry farms in Punjab carry extended-spectrum beta-lactamase or ESBL enzymes that are resistant to most penicillin and cephalosporin-based antibiotics.

The study was done on 18 poultry farms in Punjab where approximately 50,000 birds each are being raised. Of the birds tested randomly, 87 per cent carried the superbug. The poultry in these farms was meant for meat consumption, the study published in the Environmental Health Perspective journal has said.

“This study has serious implications, not only for India but globally,” said study author Ramanan Laxminarayan, director at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy in a statement. “We must remove antibiotics from the human food chain, except to treat sick animals, or face the increasingly real prospect of a post-antibiotic world,” he said.

Of these 16 farms which were surveyed, the owners used medicines to treat sick birds and to prevent diseases while two-thirds used the drugs to spur chick growth. The drug use was compared with the levels of resistance present in 1,556 E.coli specimen collected from more than 500 birds.

Chicken is the most consumed meat in India, particularly among the younger generation, and is cheaper as compared to meats. Its consumption is growing annually.

Samples from the farms, which reported using antibiotics, were three times more likely to be multidrug-resistant than samples from farms that did not use antibiotics to promote growth, the researchers said.

The team found reservoirs of resistance across both types of farms but meat farms had twice the rates of antimicrobial resistance than egg-producing farms as well as high rates of multidrug resistance. The study also found high levels of multidrug resistance, ranging from 39 per cent for ciprofloxacin, used to treat endocarditis, gastroenteritis, cellulitis and other infections, to 86 per cent for nalidixic acid, a common treatment for urinary tract infections.

 Â“Our findings suggest that antimicrobial use for growth promotion promoted the development of reservoirs of highly resistant bacteria on the studied farms, with potentially serious implications for human health,” Laxminarayan and colleagues wrote in the study.

Farmers who handle the birds often wear open-toe shoes, providing “a conduit of entry for resistant bacteria and resistance genes into the community and hospitals, where further person-to-person transmission is possible,” the authors said. Withdrawal of non-therapeutic use of agricultural antimicrobials in India would be prudent to protect public health,” they added.

Easy access to antibiotics, indiscriminate use and lack of awareness about antibiotic use are major issues in India and is approaching epidemic proportions. Estimates suggest more than 56,000 newborns die every year in India because of blood stream infections that cannot be cured by first-line antibiotics.

More countries have implemented tobacco control policies, covering 4.7 billion people of 63% of the world’s population by at least one comprehensive measure, a latest WHO report on global tobacco epidemic has said. The number of people covered under the tobacco control prices has quadrupled since 2007 when only 1 billion people and 15% of the world’s population, were covered. Strategies to implement such policies have saved millions of people from an early death, the report said.
However, the tobacco industry continues to hamper government efforts to fully implement life- and cost-saving interventions, according to the new WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2017.
“Governments around the world must waste no time in incorporating all the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control into their national tobacco control programmes and policies,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “They must also clamp down on the illicit tobacco trade, which is exacerbating the global tobacco epidemic and its related health and socio economic consequences.”
“Working together, countries can prevent millions of people from dying each year from preventable tobacco-related illness, and save billions of dollars a year in avoidable health-care expenditures and productivity losses,” Dr Tedros added.
Today, 4.7 billion people  are protected by at least one “best practice” tobacco control measure from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), 3.6 billion more than in 2007, according to the report. This progress has been made possible because governments have intensified action to implement key measures of the WHO FCTC.
Strategies to support implementation of tobacco demand reduction measures in the WHO FCTC, like the “MPOWER” measures, have saved millions of people from an early death, as well as hundreds of billions of dollars in the past decade. MPOWER was established in 2008 to promote government action on six tobacco control strategies in line with the WHO FCTC to monitor tobacco use and prevention policies,  protect people from tobacco smoke, offer help to quit tobacco use, and raise taxes on tobacco among other things. Â“One in ten deaths around the world is caused by tobacco, but we can change that through MPOWER tobacco control measures, which have proven highly effective,” says Michael R. Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“The progress that has been made worldwide – and documented throughout this report – shows that it is possible for countries to turn the tide. Bloomberg Philanthropies looks forward to working with Director-General Ghebreyesus and continuing our work with the WHO,’’ he added.
The new report, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies. It finds one-third of countries have comprehensive systems to monitor tobacco use. While this is up from one-quarter of countries monitoring tobacco use at recommended levels in 2007, governments still need to do more to prioritize or finance this area of work.
Even countries with limited resources can monitor tobacco use and implement prevention policies. By generating data on youth and adults, countries can, in turn, promote health, save healthcare costs and generate revenues for government services, the report finds. It adds that systematic monitoring of tobacco industry interference in government policymaking protects public health by shedding light on tobacco industry tactics. These include exaggerating the economic importance of the tobacco industry, discrediting proven science and using litigation to intimidate governments.  Tobacco use is the leading single preventable cause of death worldwide, killing over 7 million people each year. Its economic costs are also enormous, totalling more than US$1.4 trillion in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Controlling tobacco use is a key part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda includes targets to strengthen national implementation of the WHO FCTC and a one-third reduction in premature deaths from NCDs, including heart and lung diseases, cancer and diabetes. Tobacco use is a leading common risk factor for NCDs, which kill 40 million people each year, equivalent to 70% of all deaths globally, including 15 million people aged between 30 and 69. Over 80% of these “premature” deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
According to this report,   eight countries, including five low- and middle-income, have implemented four or more MPOWER measures at the highest level (Brazil, Islamic Republic of Iran, Ireland, Madagascar, Malta, Panama, Turkey and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Nepal, India and the Philippines are among countries that conducted WHO-backed initiatives to monitor tobacco use and then implemented measures to protect people from tobacco with Nepal introducing the world’s largest health warnings on tobacco packaging surfaces (covering 90% of the package) in May 2015 after using a set of household tobacco survey questions that allowed authorities to detect a high prevalence of adult male smokers and users of smokeless products. India launched a nationwide tobacco cessation programme and toll-free quit line in 2016 after conducting a “global adult tobacco survey” in 2009-10 that revealed high interest among almost one in two smokers and users of smokeless products to quit eventually while Philippines’ landmark Sin Tax Reform Law was passed in 2012 after its 2009 global adult tobacco survey showed high smoking rates among men (47.4%) and boys (12.9%). Such strong tobacco demand reduction measures have contributed to declining tobacco use, according to its 2015 adult tobacco survey results. A comprehensive smoke-free legislation is currently in place for almost 1.5 billion people in 55 countries. Since 2007, dramatic progress has been witnessed in low- and middle-income countries, 35 of which have adopted a complete smoke-free law since 2007, and an appropriate cessation treatment is in place for 2.4 billion people in 26 countries. More people are protected by strong graphic pack warnings than by any other MPOWER measure, covering almost 3.5 billion people in 78 countries – almost half the global population (47%), according to the report.
Several countries have bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship interfere with the tobacco industry’s ability to promote and sell its products, and reduce tobacco use. But only 15% of the world’s population is currently covered by a comprehensive ban while the report recommends raising taxes to increase tobacco product prices as the most effective and cost-effective means to reduce tobacco use and encourage users to quit.

NEW DELHI: Ram Nath Kovind was on Thursday declared elected as the next President of India. He will be sworn in on July 25 at a ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament, taking over as the country’s 14th President from Pranab Mukherjee. 
Mr. Kovind, 71,  scored an easy win over the combined opposition-backed candidate Meira Kumar, former Lok Sabha Speaker. He will be the second Dalit President of the country after K. R. Narayanan. 
“I never aspired to be the president; my win is a message to those discharging their duties with integrity,’’ he said in first comments after his electoral victory. He won tw-third of the votes cast by an electoral college comprising MPs and state legislators. Mr. Kovind was the surprise choice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to run for the presidency. At the time of his nomination as the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate, he was occupying the Bihar Raj Bhawan as the State Governor. He has also served two terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha. 
Hailing from a humble background from rural area of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Kovind had taken up legal profession and appeared in a number of cases in Delhi High Court as well as the Supreme Court. He had joined the BJP and has well-entrenched background of the party’s ideological mentor, RSS. He belongs to a family of farmers and is known to be a low-profile person of simple lifestyle
“It is a great responsibility, my job will be to uphold and protect the Constitution. My election to this post is a sign of the greatness of India’s democracy,”  Mr Kovind said. 
While polling in the presidential elections had taken place in Parliament and State Assemblies, counting began at 11 a.m. when the ballot box of MPs was opened first, followed by those received from the States in alphabetical order. 
After the election of senior BJP leader and Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu as the country’s next Vice President on August 5, it would be for the first time in the past seven decades that three top posts in the country – President, Vice President and the Prime Minister – would have gone to persons with RSS-BJP background. The BJP never had it so good in the mainstream political life of the country. Mr. Kovind’s candidature was supported by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) which broke away from the ranks of the Opposition parties. 
The ruling BJP has not only tried to bolster its pro-poor image as a party devoted to the uplift of sections of Dalits, downtrodden, deprived and backward but also made an attempt to strike a balance between North and South by picking Mr. Naidu for the country’s second highest constitutional post. 

NEW DELHI : PM Modi today held a meeting with top scientific officials of the Government of India. These included Dr. V.K. Saraswat – Member, NITI Aayog; Dr. R. Chidambaram – Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India; and Secretaries related to scientific departments in the Union Government.

Officials briefed Prime Minister on progress in various areas of scientific research.

The PM asserted that science, technology and innovation are the keys to progress and prosperity of India. He said that the Government’s priority in the science and technology sector is to apply science to solve our country’s problems.

Giving the example of talent spotting in sports, the Prime Minister said that mechanisms should be made to identify the brightest and best science talent among school students.

He said that a lot of innovation is happening at the grassroots level. Urging officials to break silos, the Prime Minister strongly emphasized that a mechanism should be formed to document and replicate successful innovations at the grassroots level. In this context, he also mentioned innovations being done by defence personnel.

In the agriculture sector, the Prime Minister identified high-protein pulses, fortified foods, and value addition in castor, as priority areas which needed to be speeded up.

In the energy sector, the Prime Minister said that the possibilities of solar energy should be pursued to the maximum, to reduce dependence on energy imports.

Expressing confidence in the abilities of Indian scientists to rise up to the challenges, and provide solutions to improve the lives of the common man in India, the Prime Minister asked the officials to draw up clear targets to be achieved by 2022, the 75^th year of independence.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu declared NDA’s vice-presidential candidate 

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will be the NDA candidate for the post of Vice President. The announcement was made by BJP President Amit Shah in New Delhi this evening after the Party Parliamentary Board meeting.

Voting concludes to elect 14th President of India

Voting was held today to elect the 14th President of India as members of Parliament and legislative assemblies exercised their franchise at designated centers at Parliament House and state assemblies complex.

A total of 714 MPs voted in the Presidential polls in Parliament House. Briefing media in New Delhi, Secretary General, Lok Sabha and returning officer for Presidential elections, Anoop Mishra said, four MLAs also voted in Parliament house and 54 MPs exercised their franchise in their states.

GST Council decides to hike cess on cigarettes

GST Council has decided to hike cess on cigarettes in its meeting held in New Delhi this evening. The council took the decision after reviewing the compensation cess rates on cigarattes. 

The new rate will come into effect from midnight tonight. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that Cess on cigarettes of up to 65 mm has been raised by 485 rupees per thousand sticks and on those exceeding 65 mm by 792 rupees per thousand sticks. 

The change in cess would fetch five thousand crore rupees additional revenue. He said, the next meeting will take place in first week of next month to review progress of new indirect tax regime GST.

Roger Federer lifts a record 8th Wimbledon title beating Marin Cilic in Men’s singles

Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title and became the tournament’s oldest champion today with a straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic. 

Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title beating Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. The 36-year old Federer is also Wimbledon’s oldest men’s winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1976.

Monsoon session of Parliament begins; Both Houses adjourned

The Monsoon session of Parliament began today and both Houses paid tributes to the departed sitting and former members and the victims of Amarnath terror attack before adjourning till tomorrow.

As soon as the Lok Sabha met, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan read the condolence message over the death of sitting MP Vinod Khanna and some former members of the House.

MoU Signed between Department of Defence Production and BEL 

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry. The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing Director, BEL Shri MV Gowtama. 

The revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs. 9000 crore. The Operating Profit to Revenue from Operations target has been set at 14 percent and PAT to Average Networth has been set at 15 percent. 

News Source – newsonair

NEW DELHI: It will be combined opposition’s Gopal Krishna Gandhi versus NDA’s M. Venkaiah Naidu in the direct contest to elect India’s 13^th Vice-President next month.

The BJP Parliamentary Board which met here on Monday evening put the seal of approval unanimously on the name of Venkaiah Naidu, Union Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting Minister and a senior party leader to be the NDA’s nominee for the election of the Vice President. The decision was announced by BJP President Amit Shah at the party headquarters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after the meeting, tweeted that he had known the 68-year-old politician for years and had always admired his tenacity and hard work. Mr. Naidu has also closely worked with former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and former Deputy PM and Home Minister L. K. Advani and to some extent has been cast in Vajpayee-Advani mould.

Hailing from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Naidu had begun his career in student politics and in 1980 served as BJP’s leader of the legislative party, headed party’s state unit before moving to the national capital to manage the party’s affairs as its general secretary and spokesperson during 1993-2000 period. He also headed the party as its national president between 2002 and 2004. He is currently in his fourth term in the Rajya Sabha, this time from Rajasthan.

Mr. Naidu had ruled himself out in May from the race for either the president or vice-president, saying he was “happy being Usha Pati’’, referring to his wife Usha.

He has honed himself as a good orator who never fails to come up quick, witty phrases and interventions in and outside Parliament. As the Vice-President is also Chairman of the Rajya Sabha where the BJP is still short of a majority, it would be Mr. Naidu’s managerial and oratorical skills that would come to his aid in running the House. His admirers, well-wishers and friends cut across party affiliations and so his goodwill.

With Mr. Naidu’s choice as the Vice Presidential candidate, the BJP has also given a broad hint about expanding its footprint in the Southern States. In choosing Mr. Ramnath Kovind as the President and Mr. Naidu as Vice-President candidates, the BJP has ensured that its core leaders get to occupy the top posts in the country. The opposition has claimed that it is contesting the two elections as ideological battle. Given the composition of both the Houses, it is almost certain that Mr. Naidu would succeed M. Hamid Ansari whose second term to the country’s second highest constitutional post comes to an end on August 10.

All members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, including nominated members, form the electoral college for electing the Vice President. 

The ruling BJP-led NDA coalition is confident of getting 500 to 550 votes in favour of its Vice Presidential candidate. While in the current Lok Sabha, the NDA has 335 members, making for 62 per cent of the total members, in the Rajya Sabha the ruling dispensation has about 59 per cent members. While Rajya Sabha has 233 elected and 12 nominated members, Lok Sabha has 543 elected and 2 nominated members, taking the total strength to 790.

While the JD (U) has supported the NDA’s  Presidential candidate, it has already announced that it would back UPA’s Vice-Presidential nominee Gopal Krishna Gandhi for election as the country’s 13th Vice President. Polling and counting of votes is scheduled to be held on August 5. 

The value of each vote in the Vice-Presidential election is one. Ballot paper, containing names of the contesting candidate, is used for the election. The ballot paper does not contain any party symbol. It has two columns — one containing the name of the candidate and the second for marking the order of preference.

As per the number of contesting candidates, the voters can mark as many preferences against the names of the candidates as they want. The winning candidate has to get a required quota of votes, which is 50% of the total valid votes +1. With three vacancies, the total strength of the electoral college this time would be 787.