Voting for the Vice President began in Parliament today. The Vice President of India is the second-highest constitutional post in the country and is elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Jagdeep Dhankhar, a lawyer by profession, joined politics in 1989 and went on to become the governor of West Bengal in July 2019. Dhankar made headlines since then over his tumultuous relations with the Mamata Banerjee government and tendered his resignation as the Governor of West Bengal, news agency ANI reported.
Voting for the Vice Presidential election in which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar was pitted against the Opposition nominee Margaret Alva began at 10 am on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast his vote along with other parliamentarians for the vice-presidential elections. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also cast his vote in the Parliament as voting to elect the India's next Vice-President began on Saturday. Additionally, all MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members, are entitled to vote in the vice presidential election.
According to news agency ANI report, the votes were counted today itself, following which India's next Vice-President will take the oath of office on August 11, notably, a day after the term of the incumbent Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ends. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and BJP chief JP Nadda were present when Dhankar filed his nomination. It is important to note that the Vice President of India, which is the second-highest constitutional post in the country, is elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
(With inputs from ANI)
