Highlights
- Ruling coalition and the opposition had failed to arrive at a consensus on the matter, Mayawati said
- BSP has decided to support the NDA candidate in wider national interest, she said
- The voting for the vice-president's election is scheduled to take place on August 6
Vice President Election 2022: Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati has announced support to the vice-Presidential candidate of the NDA, Jagdeep Dhankhar.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Mayawati said that she was formally announcing her support to Dhankhar because the ruling coalition and the opposition had failed to arrive at a consensus on the issue.
She said her party has decided to support the NDA candidate in the wider national interest and the Bahujan movement.
The voting for the vice-president's election is scheduled to take place on August 6.
NDA's Vice Presidential pick Jagdeep Dhankhar
In July 2022, Jagdeep Dhankhar, a Jat leader from Rajasthan with socialist background, was selected as the ruling National Democratic Alliance's vice presidential candidate.
Making the announcement, BJP president JP Nadda lauded Dhankhar as a "kisan-putra" (son of farmer) who, he said, established himself as a "people's governor".
Dhankhar's election as vice president, who is also the ex-officio chairperson of Rajya Sabha, is almost a certainty as the BJP has a majority in the electoral college comprising members of 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.
The BJP parliamentary board in a meeting, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders, picked the 71-year-old Dhankhar after deliberating over several names from different backgrounds, Nadda said.
After the announcement, Modi tweeted, "Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has excellent knowledge of our Constitution. He is also well-versed in 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."
Since taking over as the West Bengal Governor in July 2019, Dhankhar has had several run-ins with the Mamata Banerjee government.
While his proactive conduct has drawn criticism from the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP has backed him, noting that he had stuck to constitutional provisions to ask questions of the Banerjee government.
The TMC had also demanded his removal as governor.
Being a Jat, a backward community in Rajasthan, Dhankhar's elevation as vice president is likely to send a helpful political message for the BJP as not many Jats besides former prime minister Charan Singh and former deputy prime minister Devi Lal have occupied high positions at the national level.
(With inputs from agencies)
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