NEW DELHI: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Saturday named as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate for the post of Vice-President. The decision was taken at the BJP’s parliamentary board meeting in Delhi.The decision to pick a Jat leader from Rajasthan for the post is significant as the state will go to polls next year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him “Kisan Putra”, who is known for his humility. “He brings with him an illustrious legal, legislative and gubernatorial career. He has always worked for the well-being of farmers, youth, women, and the marginalised. Glad that he will be our VP candidate. He has excellent knowledge of our Constitution. He is also well-versed with legislative affairs,” tweeted the PM.
Dhankhar, 71, has been engaged in war of words with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during his tenure as West Bengal governor since July, 2019.
Banerjee met Dhankhar at the governor’s house in Darjeeling, where the Assam chief minister was also present, two days ago. Though Banerjee described the meeting as a courtesy call, political observers found it significant following the BJP’s announcement. The Bengal CM, on several occasions, accused Dhankhar of acting at the behest of the BJP and crossing his constitutional limits. The Bengal governor, too, criticised Banerjee’s administration for allegedly being biased and working for the ruling Trinamool Congress citing several examples, which include violence during the Assembly elections and allegations of post-poll violence
The CPM described Dhankhar’s candidature as a reflection of under-table relations between the TMC and the BJP. “We always said the TMC and the BJP back each other. Dhankhar’s selection and the TMC’s silence reflects it,” said CPM politburo member Mohammad Salim. Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Dhankhar was close to the BJP and that was why the saffron camp announced his name.
Born in Jhunjhun in Rajasthan, Dhankhar was instrumental in getting OBC status for Jats in Rajasthan. He was a Lok Sabha MP from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan during 1989-91, representing Janata Dal. He was also a former MLA from Kishangarh in Rajasthan during 1993-98. A lawyer by profession, Dhankhar practised in the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court. He graduated with physics honours from Maharaja’s College in Jaipur and an LLB degree from Jaipur University in 1979.