Vice President election: BJP's JP Nadda appeals Opposition parties to support 'kisan putra' Jagdeep Dhankhar

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Sunday urged all the political parties, including the Opposition, to rise above the party sentiments and support the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) vice presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Describing Dhankhar as a "kisan putra" (farmer's son), Nadda said that the West Bengal Governor hails from a humble background and that he has been serving the country for over three decades in different capacities.

The BJP chief further said that Dhankhar has served the nation in different capacities and has proved to be a successful administrator and capable politicians.

"I urge all political parties, especially allies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), to support Jagdeep Dhankhar. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the nomination of farmer's son Jagdeep Dhankhar for the post of India's Vice President by BJP and NDA is another step taken in the direction of empowerment of farmers," Nadda said.

The BJP national president also said that Dhankhar's life story reflects the spirit of new India as he overcame innumerable social and economic hurdles in achieving his goals.

The appeal by Nadda comes on a day when the Opposition decided to field former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva as its joint candidate for the vice presidential post.

The vice president election is scheduled to be held on 6 August and last date for filing of nominations is 19 July.

Dhankhar will file his nomination on Monday, 18 July, while Margaret Alva will submit her nomination papers on July 19.

Dhankhar has earlier served as the ex-officio chairperson of Rajya Sabha. His election as vice president is almost a certainty as the BJP has a majority in the electoral college that comprises members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

The BJP alone has 394 MPs out of the Parliament's current strength of 780. The majority mark is 390.

With inputs from agencies

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