Centre has no problem with Gopalkrishna supporting Yakub Memon: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on 18 July said that the Centre does not have any issue with United Progressive Alliance's (UPA) Vice Presidential candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi who had sought mercy for a 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts convict, Yakub Memon.

"If Gopalkrishna Gandhi feels good about supporting the ones who signed the mercy petition of Yakub Memon first, we don't have any objection with that," Pradhan told ANI.

He added that National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Vice-Presidential Candidate M. Venkaiah Naidu has experienced not only NDA but other parties will also support him in the Vice Presidential elections.

"Naidu will face no problem in winning," he asserted.

Memon was the lone convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case who was sent to the gallows.

Meanwhile earlier in the day, GopalKrishna Gandhi filed his nomination to be the 13th Vice President of India in the Parliament House.

Gandhi was accompanied by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other eminent leaders of various political parties.

India will go on poll on August 5 to elect its new Vice President.

NDA vice presidential candidate M. Venkaiah Naidu also filed his nomination for the post today.

Naidu was accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, veteran leader L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and other NDA leaders while filing his nomination in the Parliament House.

Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Pattnaik extended his support for Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

"I extend my support to Gopalkrishna Gandhi for Vice-Presidential elections," Pattnaik told media.

Gandhi said he has accepted the request with a sense of gratitude and responsibility.

Gopalkrishna, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said a total of 18 opposition parties asked him to be their presidential candidate.

The term of Vice President Hamid Ansari, who is also ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, ends on August 10.

-ANI