Venkaiah Naidu happy with Mulayam's support

NDA's Vice-Presidential nominee M. Venkaiah Naidu on 18 July expressed his happiness over getting Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's support.

Naidu tweeted, "Happy that Sh Mulayam Singh ji blessed me and extended his full support." (sic)

Earlier on 18 July, Naidu filed his nomination papers for the Vice-Presidential election.

Naidu also extended his thanks to Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon, Thambidurai and MPs from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and others for extending their support to him.

Yesterday, Venkaiah Naidu resigned from his ministerial responsibilities.

Naidu was serving as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting in the Modi administration.

A prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he has also served as its national president from 2002 to 2004

Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas. His oratory skills and political activism propelled his political career and he was elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udayagiri constituency in Nellore district in 1978 and 1983. He rose to become one of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.

After having served in various organisational posts of the BJP at the state and national level, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998.

He has since been re-elected twice in 2004 and 2010 from Karnataka.

-ANI