Modi to meet NDA MPs, tell them how to vote correctly

After 21 votes declared invalid during the Presidential election, now on the eve of Vice President's election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would meet NDA MPs on Friday.

According to party officials, apart from the NDA's 81 Rajya Sabha members and 337 Lok Sabha members, AIADMK, YSR Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MPs would also be present in the meeting.

During the meeting, a demonstration on voting would be held for the MPs, so that their votes do not go waste in the Vice President's election. NDA nominee M Venkaiah Naidu will also address present MPs for seeking their votes, party sources said.

During the presidential poll held in last month, 77 votes in total were declared invalid and 21 of them belonged to parliamentarians of various parties.

Unlike the presidential election in which the Electoral College also includes MLAs, only MPs of the two Houses can vote now. Therefore, in the last BJP Parliamentary party meeting, both PM Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah emphasized on voting correctly to rule out any vote going invalid, in their addresses to party members. Meanwhile, sources said that, the Prime Minister has also asked to meet the MPs who were "missing" from the Upper House on Monday, during the meeting.

He would also host a dinner. Twenty-one items, including south Indian dishes, are on the menu.

The Electoral College comprises 790 members and parties with 484 members have already pledged their support to Naidu, who is also expected to be backed by several nominated members.

PM Modi on Thursday urged the BJP MPs from Maharashtra and Goa to "rise above" their political activities and connect with the people through public welfare works.

Modi, who met the MPs from the two western states at his residence here, also told them to be involved with those from the deprived sections of the society as public representatives, according to an official statement.

The change in the people's mindset towards development should be understood, he told the MPs, as he asked them to be involved with the masses through welfare activities.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who is also an MP from Maharashtra, was also present at the meeting.

The MPs from the western states told the prime minister that the various schemes launched by his government in the last three years had a big positive impact on the lives of the poor in the country.