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Debjit Mukherjee: NDA nominee Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Saturday elected as the 14th Vice-President of India, defeating joint opposition candidate Margaret Alva after securing 528 votes (72.8%) against his rival’s tally of 182.
Opposition presidential candidate Margaret Alva, while congratulating Jagdeep Dhankhar on his election as the vice president, hit out at some opposition parties for “directly or indirectly” helping BJP and said though the election is over, the battle for protecting the Constitution, strengthening democracy and restoring Parliament’s dignity will continue. In a remark which appeared to be aimed at some parties, particularly TMC which refrained from voting in the polls, Alva said, “This election was an opportunity for the opposition to work together …and build trust amongst each other. Unfortunately, some opposition parties chose to directly or indirectly support BJP, in an attempt to derail the idea of a united opposition.” She said it was her belief that by doing so, these parties have damaged their own credibility.
