National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will be the 14th Vice-President of the country. He secured 528 votes out of the 710 valid votes in the 16th Vice-Presidential election held in Parliament on August 6.
- The Opposition candidate and Congress leader, Margaret Alva, got 182 votes.
- Lok Sabha Secretary-General Utpal Kumar Singh was the Returning Officer of the election.
- Of the 780 electors comprising elected and nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and elected members of the Lok Sabha, 725 MPs voted. Out of the 725 votes, 15 were invalid and the total valid votes were 710.
- Jagdeep Dhankhar will serve as the 14th Vice President of the India.
- The Vice President is also an ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
About Jagdeep Dhankhar
- Jagdeep Dhankhar was born in Kithana Village, Rajasthan in 1951.
- Grown up in a family of farmers, Jagdeep has been inculcated with the value of always staying connected with his roots. He completed his LLB in 1978-79 and registered in the BAR the same year.
- In the beginning, Jagdeep practiced in the Rajasthan High Court, Later he started practising primarily in Supreme Court.
- The ex-Bengal Governor is also known for being the youngest president of the Rajasthan High Court BAR Association.
- Jagdeep entered into politics when he won the Jhunjunu Lok Sabha seat in 1989. He won the election on Janta Dal Ticket.
- During his tenure, he also held key positions in crucial departments. He joined the Congress when PV Narasimha Rao became the prime minister.
- But with the rise of Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan, he changed ships to the BJP.
- In 1990, he served as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. A former member of Janta Dal, Jagdeep joined BJP in 2003. Jagdeep Dhankhar was appointed as the Governor of Bengal in 2019.