Vice presidential election 2022: AAP, JMM to support Opposition pick Margaret Alva

This comes after Shibu Soren`s JMM had supported NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the July 18 Presidential election.

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday (August 3) announced their support for Opposition’s vice-presidential election pick Margaret Alva. JMM supremo Shibu Soren, who had extended support to NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu for the July 18 Presidential polls, asked its parliamentarians to vote in favour of Congress veteran Alva during the August 6 Vice presidential elections. JMM has 3 MPs– 2 in the Rajya Sabha and 1 in the Lok Sabha. 

AAP MP Sanjay Singh also announced today that they will support Opposition candidate Margaret Alva in the upcoming Vice Presidential polls. 

BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded former West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its vice presidential nominee. 

On Monday, former union minister Alva had written to all members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, who form the electoral college, asking for their support and said “if elected Vice President, I commit myself to work tirelessly to uphold the Constitution and to strengthen our parliamentary democracy. As Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, I will work to build bridges between different political parties, forge consensus on issues of national importance, and help restore the glory of Parliament.” 

The Opposition nominee has often urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to reconsider the decision of TMC abstaining from the upcoming Veep polls. She had also reached out to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal to seek his support for her candidature. 

Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati has announced support for NDA's Vice-Presidential candidate 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 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," the former Uttar Pradesh CM added. 

(With agency inputs)