Mayawati announces support for NDA's V-P candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday announced her party's support for NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar.

"It is well known that due to the lack of consensus between the government and the opposition in the election for the post of the the president, the country's highest post, the election for it was finally held. Now, due to the same situation, the election for the post of Vice-President is also going to be held on 6th August," Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

"In view of the larger public interest and its own movement, the BSP has decided to extend its support to Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar in the election for the post of Vice President, which I am also formally announcing today," she added in another tweet.

The election for the Vice President's post will be held on August 6. This comes just as the tenure of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu comes to an end on August 10, 2022.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has announced Jagdeep Dhankhar as its vice-presidential candidate while opposition parties have announced Margaret Alva as their candidate.

Dhankhar, who is a lawyer by profession, entered into politics in 1989. He became the governor of West Bengal in July 2019 and has made headlines since then over his tumultuous relations with the Mamata Banerjee government. He tendered his resignation as the Governor of West Bengal on Sunday.

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.

Earlier, Biju Janta Dal (BJD) announced its support for NDA's Vice Presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankar in the upcoming election.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress said that the party will abstain from voting in the upcoming Vice Presidential poll.

In 2017, the NDA had nominated Venkaiah Naidu as its candidate for the vice-presidential election and he went on to become India's 15th vice president. His term ends on August 10, 2022.