The opposition has announced Margaret Alva as their Vice Presidential candidate. The announcement was made by NCP chief Sharad Pawar who said, "17 parties are on board for this unanimous decision. Our collective thinking is Alva will file VP nomination on Tuesday."
The announcement came a day after the BJP-led NDA announced Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate for the country's second-most important office.
Who is Margaret Alva?
She is a former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader. Alva has served multiple terms as governor of Rajasthan, Goa, Gujarat and Uttarakhand.
- Margaret Alva was born on April 14, 1942, in Karnataka's Mangalore.
- The 80-year-old was elected to Rajya in 1974 as a representative of Congress.
- After finishing his graduation in Physics, he pursued LLB from the University of Rajasthan.
- She was elected for four successive terms to the Rajya Sabha, and one term in the Lok Sabha.
- Margaret Alva has held the Parliamentary Affairs and Youth Affairs portfolios in the Central cabinet.
- Alva assumed several responsibilities, under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao.
The electoral college for picking the next vice president, who is also the ex-officio Rajya Sabha chairperson, comprises members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Out of Parliament's current strength of 780, the BJP alone has 394 MPs, more than the majority mark of 390. The last date for filing of nomination papers for the poll is July 19 and the election is scheduled for August 6.
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