Jagdeep Dhankhar elected India's 14th Vice President, defeats Margaret Alva by huge margin

New Delhi: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar was elected as the country's 14th Vice President on Saturday in a victory that was a foregone conclusion as he trounced the Opposition's candidate Margaret Alva by a huge margin.

Dhankhar, a former governor of West Bengal who will also preside over the Rajya Sabha which has been witnessing opposition protests over a range of issues, secured 528 votes against Alva's 182. His victory margin was the highest since 1997. The members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha form the electoral college for the vice presidential elections.

Soon after Dhankhar, 71, was declared as the winner with a huge vote share of over 74 per cent, the highest in the last six vice-presidential elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met him and congratulated him on his victory with resounding support across party lines, and said it was a proud moment for India to have a "kisan putra" (farmer's son) as vice president.

Modi met Dhankhar at the residence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and greeted him with a bouquet.

The prime minister later thanked all those MPs who voted for Dhankhar.

"At a time when India marks Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are proud to be having a Kisan Putra Vice President who has excellent legal knowledge and intellectual prowess," Modi tweeted.

Alva, 80, congratulated Dhankhar, a lawyer-turned politician and a former MP, on his victory.

Alva, a veteran Congress leader and a former union minister, said while this election is over, the battle for protecting the Constitution, strengthening democracy and restoring Parliament's dignity will continue. She was also a former Governor.

The Trinamool Congress had abstained from voting claiming it was not consulted while naming Alva as the opposition pick. However, two of its MPs -- Sisir Kumar Adhikari and Dibyendu Adhikari -- broke ranks and cast their ballots. The party has 36 MPs, including 23 in the Lok Sabha.

Congratulatory messages for Dhankhar, a bete noire of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, poured in from various quarters after the election result was announced with President Droupadi Murmu, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Alva among others greeting him.

The nation will benefit from Dhankhar's long and rich experience in public life, the president tweeted.

Dhankhar will take oath as the vice president on August 11, a day after incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu's tenure ends.

Naidu congratulated Dhankhar saying his vast experience and legal expertise will benefit the country.

Dhankhar will be the second vice president from Rajasthan after Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who held the office between 2002 and 2007.

With Dhankhar's election, the presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament will be from Rajasthan. Currently, Om Birla who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajasthan's Kota is the Lok Sabha speaker.

The numbers were heavily stacked in favour of Dhankhar as the ruling BJP enjoys an absolute majority in Lok Sabha and has 91 members in Rajya Sabha.

Even before the results were announced, celebrations had started outside the residence of Minister Pralhad Joshi where Dhankhar was present.

Joyous scenes were also reported from Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, the hometown of Dhankhar.

In Jhunjhunu's Kithana village, hordes of people were present at Dhankhar's house and danced in celebrations. Sweets were also distributed.

Celebrations also took place at the state BJP headquarters in Jaipur where people danced to the beats of dhols and distributed sweets.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a Congress, veteran, congratulated Dhankhar on his victory.

Announcing the poll result, Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Returning Officer Utpal Kumar Singh said 725 MPs cast their ballots and 15 votes were declared invalid.

A candidate required at least 356 votes to win the election.

The voter turnout of 92.94 per cent this time was lower than 98.2 per cent recorded in the 2017 election when Naidu was elected.

Members of Parliament, including nominated ones, are eligible to vote in the vice presidential poll.

The electoral college comprises 788 members, but due to eight vacancies in Rajya Sabha, the actual strength was 780.

The polling at the Parliament House began at 10 am and concluded at 5 pm.

Prime Minister Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh cast their ballots early in the day, while opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi voted a little after noon.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP President J P Nadda were among the leaders who turned up early at the Parliament House.

Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi, who has contracted COVID-19, voted wearing a PPE kit.

"Satisfied that I could perform my duties as a third term parliamentarian in the #VP elections, even if in extraterrestrial attire!" he tweeted.

A total of 55 MPs did not turn up to cast their votes, notable among them were BJP MPs Sunny Deol and Sanjay Dhotre, the Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shafiqur Rahman Barq.

Seven MPs from the Shiv Sena, including Sanjay Raut who is in jail in connection with a money laundering case, did not vote. Two MPs from the BSP and one from the AAP also did not vote.

The counting of votes began at 6 pm and Dhankhar was declared elected just before 8 pm.

Dhankhar, who had been associated with the Janata Dal and the Congress, joined the BJP only in 2008 after a hiatus of nearly a decade when he concentrated on his legal career.

A man of many interests, Dhankhar's long legal career at the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court and a brief stint as the junior parliamentary affairs minister at the Centre is expected to come in handy as he presides over the Rajya Sabha.

He has championed issues related to Other Backward Classes, including the grant of OBC status to the Jat community in Rajasthan.

The BJP described Dhankhar as "kisan putra" while announcing his candidature for the vice presidential election, a move seen in the political circles aimed at reaching out to the politically significant Jat community which had participated in huge numbers in the year-long farmers' protests on the borders of the national capital against agriculture reform measures unveiled in June 2020.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated Dhankhar and said he will prove to be an ideal guardian of the Constitution while holding the post besides functioning as chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

"It is a matter of joy for the nation that a farmer's son, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, has been elected as the Vice President of India. As Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will prove to be an ideal guardian of the Constitution, I congratulate him on this victory," he said in a message.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin tweeted, "Congratulations and best wishes to Thiru. @jdhankhar1 on being elected as the Vice President of India. Hope the ideals enshrined in our constitution will be upheld during your tenure besides strengthening the democratic debates in the Upper House."