NDA's candidate for Vice President is West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar: JP Nadda

Presidential Polls 2022: Making the announcement, BJP president J P Nadda lauded Dhankhar as a "kisan putra" (farmer's son) who established himself as a "people's governor"

Pic courtesy: PTI

Presidential Polls 2022: NDA's candidate for the post of Vice President of India will be Jagdeep Dhankhar, BJP chief JP Nadda said. Making the announcement, BJP president J P Nadda lauded Dhankhar as a "kisan putra" (farmer's son) who established himself as a "people's governor". Since assuming charge as the governor of West Bengal in July 2019, Jagdeep Dhankhar has often been in news over his disagreements and tiffs with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.  

Recently, the West Bengal Governor had launched a scathing attack on the appeasement politics of the Mamata Banerjee government in the state, which, he alleged, was destroying the essence of the democracy. The governor also alleged that there is "no space available in the state for political activity of opposition parties". Dhankhar also claimed that it will create a "serious imbalance" in society. Dhankhar claimed that development and empowerment have been "communalised" in the state in terms of finance and government jobs. "Communalised patronage is antithetical to democratic values. We are witnessing extreme appeasement ..... This appeasement will destroy our democracy," he said at the Bagdogra airport.

BJP leaders noted that Dhankhar has been in public life for more than three decades, and his life story reflects the spirit of new India: "overcoming innumerable social and economic hurdles and achieving one's goals".

Earlier, there have been speculations on whether Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, a prominent Muslim face of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party, will be NDA's choice for Vice President. Naqvi had resigned on Wednesday from the post of Union Minority Affairs Minister, triggering strong speculations that he may be fielded as the saffron party’s vice-presidential candidate soon. Naqvi resigned a day before his Rajya Sabha tenure expired. On the advice of the Prime Minister, President Ram Nath Kovind accepted his resignation with immediate effect and directed that Union Minister Smriti Irani be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in addition to her existing portfolio.