Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was contesting as the NDA candidate, has been announced as the next Vice President of India.
Dhankhar was elected as the country’s 14th Vice President, defeating opposition candidate Margata Alva. The former West Bengal Governor’s candidature was supported by many non-BJP parties like JDU, YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK and Shiv Sena. strongly supported him.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jagdeep Dhankhar, who was contesting as the NDA candidate, has been announced as the next Vice President of India.
Dhankhar was elected as the country’s 14th Vice President, defeating opposition candidate Margata Alva. The former West Bengal Governor’s candidature was supported by many non-BJP parties like JDU, YSRCP, BSP, AIADMK and Shiv Sena. strongly supported him.
The tenure of incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10. The Vice President is also the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and thus conducts the affairs of the Upper House.
About 93 percent of MPs voted to elect the Vice President in this election
Voter turnout in the vice-presidential election on Saturday was around 93 percent, with more than 50 MPs abstaining from exercising their right to vote.
Officials said 725 out of a total of 780 MPs cast their votes till 5 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan had cast their votes earlier in the day, while opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi cast their votes in the afternoon, officials said.
The Trinamool Congress, which has 39 MPs including 23 in the Lok Sabha, has already announced its abstention from the polls. However, two of its MPs – Shishir Kumar Adhikari and Dibyendu Adhikari – cast a rank-breaking vote that has political significance.
Voting for India’s next Vice President began at 10 am, with Modi being the first voter.
Graphics show how support for Dhankhar grew ahead of Saturday’s vote.
Support for the opposition is divided
Cracks in opposition unity were visible as Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress decided to abstain from the vote, citing lack of consultation when deciding in favor of Alva.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) supported Alva. At the same time, BSP and TDP supported Dhankhar. The BJP and YSRCP, which supported the NDA’s candidacy in the presidential election, also supported Dhankhar.
Alva, 80, is a Congress veteran and served as the Governor of Rajasthan.