From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Margaret Alva (80), a former governor of Goa, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, a former union minister and a long time Congress MP, was on Sunday picked up as the common Opposition’s candidate for the Vice-President, the election for which takes place on August 6. She held the additional charge of the governor of Gujarat for just 9 days from July 7 to 15 in 2014 and that of Goa for 25 days from July 12 to August 5 in 2014 while serving as the Rajasthan Governor.
Congress Chief Spokesman Jairam Ramesh announced her name, a day after the BJP picked up West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar (71) as the ruling NDA’s candidate. Dhankar is sure to be elected due to a thumping majority of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, succeeding M Venkaiah Naidu (73).
With his election, both the presiding officers in Parliament will be from Rajasthan — Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from Kota and Dhankar from Jhunjhunu. Alva too has the Rajasthan connection as its former governor. Former union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who quit early this week on completing his Rajya Sabha term, is tipped to be the new governor of West Bengal.
Only MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, included nominated members elect the vice-president unlike the MLAs also being the voters in the Presidential election slated on Monday. The last day for nominations for the vice-president is Tuesday and last date of withdrawal is July 22.
Dhankar, who was practising in the Supreme Court for many years before becoming the governer, West Bengal, belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was a minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the Chandra Shekhar ministry at the Centre.
