New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Sunday fielded former Union minister Margaret Alva as their joint vice-president candidate for the upcoming elections that will be held on August 6.
A meeting of 17 Opposition parties held in New Delhi on Sunday at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar decided to field Ms Alva as their candidate.
Announcing the decision, Mr Pawar said that 17 Opposition parties have unanimously decided on Ms Alva’s name.
Shortly after the announcement, Ms Alva tweeted, "It is a privilege and an honour to be nominated as the candidate of the joint Opposition for the post of vice-president of India. I accept this nomination with great humility and thank the leaders of the Opposition for the faith they've put in me."
Endorsing the candidature of Ms Alva, senior Congress leader and party’s communications chief Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Margaret Alva, former governor, former Union minister, long-time MP and very distinguished representative of India's wonderful diversity, is the common Opposition candidate for Vice-President."
The Opposition leaders’ meeting, which began at 3 pm and continued till 4:30 pm, was attended by Leader of Opposition Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, DMK’s T.R. Baalu, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, CPI leaders D. Raja and Binoy Viswam, (MDMK) leader Vaiko, TRS member Keshav Rao, Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury, IUML member E.T. Mohammed Basheer, and RJD’s Amarendra Dhari Singh.
No representative from the Trinamul Congress, which is the second largest Opposition party in the Rajya Sabha, was present at the meeting. The Aam Aadmi Party also did not attend the meeting. Mr Pawar though said that both AAP and TMC will support the joint Opposition candidate.
The term of office of the incumbent vice president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, is ending on August 10.
This will be the 16th vice-presidential election in the country. The announcement came a day after the BJP-led NDA announced that West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar will be its candidate.
