VP poll aimed at altering formations

The sole objective of the Vice Presidential election, which is slated for next month, is to try and alter the current political formations, with the aim of testing the strength of both the major groups.

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There is no doubt in anyone's mind that if the contest was to take place between C.P.

Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee and Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, the I.N.D.I.A bloc candidate, the odds favour the BJP and its allies.

The NDA has a clear numerical strength, and in this context, Reddy stands hardly any chance.

However, in what is being billed as a Telugu versus Tamil contest in the southern part of the country, the political parties, particularly in the Andhra and Telangana region, shall have to make a difficult choice. In Tamil Nadu, going by the nature of politics there, it is more or less settled that the DMK and the AIADMK, can never be on the same page. The question of both of them supporting a common nominee would impact their own politics, and they shall always be forced to play adversarial roles.

If the BJP strategists figured in their head, that M.K. Stalin and his party would back Radhakrishnan, it is most improbable. And if they thought that the move would help them to make inroads in the Assembly elections due after a few months, that too is never going to happen. C.P. Radhakrishnan is a two-time MP, but he does not have the clout and position to compel the entire state to vote for his candidacy.