Overview

• TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu pledged support to C. P. Radhakrishnan, citing alliance commitments over regional appeals.
• Naidu criticized the INDIA bloc’s choice of Telugu jurist B. Sudarshan Reddy and said the NDA expects a comfortable win.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis sought cross-party backing, but Sharad Pawar publicly refused and reaffirmed support for the INDIA nominee.
• Pawar objected to Radhakrishnan’s record as Jharkhand governor, invoking Hemant Soren’s arrest at Raj Bhavan to allege misuse of power.
• The Returning Officer validated both candidates’ nominations, confirming a direct contest on September 9 to fill the post vacated by Jagdeep Dhankhar.