Jagdeep Dhankhar Files Papers For Vice-President Polls; PM Modi By His Side

Jagdeep Dhankhar, the BJP-led NDA's candidate for Vice-President, filed his nomination papers today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was with him, as were Cabinet Ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, and BJP President JP Nadda.

"I will always strive to enhance the democratic values of the country," said Mr Dhankhar, 71, a former West Bengal governor who had a long innings with the BJP in Rajasthan. "I never thought, even in my dreams, that a person with a humble background like me will get this opportunity."

The Opposition has fielded veteran Congress leader Margaret Alva, 80, in the polls scheduled for August 6. The last date for nominations is tomorrow.

The term of the current Vice-President, M Venkaiah Naidu, ends on August 10. Mr Naidu, a former BJP president and union minister, had won comfortably in 2017.

M Venkaiah Naidu at a farewell dinner with MPs last week. 

Mr Dhankhar resigned as governor yesterday to run for Vice-President, who is also the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha by default. 

Earlier in the day, Mr Dhankhar met MPs from different parties supporting his bid. There, too, PM Modi and other senior BJP leaders were present, besides MPs from the Biju Janata Dal and Lok Jankshakti Party, among others.

PM Modi had cited Jagdeep Dhankhar's farming background while announcing his name.

Kisan Putra Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji is known for his humility. He brings with him an illustrious legal, legislative and gubernatorial career. He has always worked for the well-being of farmers, youth, women and the marginalised. Glad that he will be our VP candidate. @jdhankhar1 pic.twitter.com/TJ0d05gAa8

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 16, 2022

He was associated with former deputy PM Devi Lal, a Jat farmer leader from Haryana. In the short-lived, Congress-supported government of Chandra Shekhar, Mr Dhankhar was a minister. He joined the Congress when PV Narasimha Rao became PM. But, as Ashok Gehlot rose to the top of the party in Rajasthan, Mr Dhankhar shifted to the BJP.

Three years ago, he was appointed Governor of West Bengal, where he had frequent run-ins with the Mamata Banerjee-led government. He was accused by Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress of doing the bidding of the BJP-led central government.

His opponent, Margaret Alva, has served as governor of several states. A five-time MP, she was a minister in Rajiv Gandhi's government.

Meanwhile, polling was on for the next President of India. NDA's Droupadi Murmu is likely to win comfortably as several non-NDA parties have also supported her, owing to her being from a tribal community. If elected, she'll be the first tribal President, and only the second woman to hold the post.

Yashwant Sinha, the Opposition candidate, had yesterday reminded MPs and MLAs — the voters in these elections — that they were not bound by any party whip, so should vote as per "individual conscience". He described the elections as "not between two individuals but between two ideologies". If elected, he'd said, he would "do everything to save India's Constitution and its values".