National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Vice Presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he would “always strive to enhance democratic values of the country”, as he filed nomination papers on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of various parties supporting his bid.
"Never even in my dreams did I think a person with a humble background like me would get this opportunity. I am grateful to Prime Minister Modi and the leadership for giving a humble man from kisan (farmer) family, like me, such a historic opportunity," he added.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh; BJP president J. P. Nadda; Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Lalan Singh; Union Ministers Anupriya Patel, Pashupati Nath Paras and Ramdas Athawale; and the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) Pinaki Misra were present when the former West Bengal Governor filed his papers for the election in which his win is all but certain. Sources confirm that while four sets of nomination papers were made ready, only one set was filed, with Mr. Modi as the first proposer for Mr. Dhankhar.
Before filing his nomination, Mr. Dhankhar attended a meeting of MPs from different parties supporting his candidature. Mr. Dhankhar was till recently the Governor of West Bengal; a Lok Sabha MP between 1989-1991 from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan; Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 1990; and a member of the Rajasthan Assembly from 1993-98.
The opposition has named Margaret Alva as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election scheduled for August 6. Results of the polls will be announced on the same day.
The electoral college for voting in the Vice President consists of Members of Parliament from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members.
