The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA on Saturday announced West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate for the vice presidential election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi voiced hope that Dhankhar will “guide the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha with the aim of furthering national progress.”
BJP chief JP Nadda announced the candidature of 71-year-old Dhankhar, following a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board. Prime Minister Modi, senior Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan attended the meeting to pick the party’s candidate for the vice presidential poll.
Modi tweeted, “Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has excellent knowledge of our Constitution. He is also well-versed with legislative affairs. I am sure that he will be an outstanding Chair in the Rajya Sabha & guide the proceedings of the House with the aim of furthering national progress.”
Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has excellent knowledge of our Constitution. He is also well-versed with legislative affairs. I am sure that he will be an outstanding Chair in the Rajya Sabha & guide the proceedings of the House with the aim of furthering national progress. @jdhankhar1 pic.twitter.com/Ibfsp1fgDt— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 16, 2022
Born in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, Dhankhar was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Jhunjhunu parliamentary constituency in 1989. He became a union minister and chairman of a Parliamentary Committee in 1990. He was then elected to the Rajasthan legislative assembly from Kishangarh constituency in Ajmer district in the year 1993-1998.
In 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Dhankhar as the Governor of West Bengal.
The last date for filing of nomination papers for the poll is July 19 and the election is scheduled for August 6.
In 2017, the party had named the then cabinet minister M Venkaiah Naidu, a former BJP president, and veteran parliamentarian, as its vice presidential candidate. Naidu had won the election comfortably to occupy the second highest constitutional post in the country. Naidu’s current term ends on August 10.
The BJP is again in a strong position to ensure the victory of its candidate. The electoral college for picking the next vice president, who is also the ex-officio Rajya Sabha chairperson, comprises members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Out of Parliament’s current strength of 780, the BJP alone has 394 MPs, more than the majority mark of 390.
(with inputs from PTI)
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