NEW DELHI (Realist English). The ruling Indian People’s Party (Bharatiya Janata Party), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has chosen Jagdeep Dhanhar, Governor of West Bengal, as the candidate for vice-president of India, Bloomberg reports.
The 71-year—old Dhanhar was elected as a lawmaker in 1988 from a constituency in Rajasthan – his home state.
Until recently, one of the possible candidates for the post of vice president was Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the only Muslim in Modi’s cabinet.
According to the Constitution, the vice president becomes the president of India in the event of the death, resignation or removal of the president. Concurrently, the president is the Chairman of the upper house of Parliament. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, who oversees the process of forming a new government in the event of the dissolution of Parliament.
Dhanhar is a farmer’s son. The head of the Indian People’s Party, Jagat Prakash Nadda, called him a “people’s governor” who is “fully endowed with administrative powers.”
Dhanhar took over West Bengal on July 30, 2019. The politician belongs to the Jat community, which is an influential caste in several states of Northern India, including Rajasthan.
Formerly, the Indian People’s Party faced anger from farmers and Jats, many of whom are landowners in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, which was noticeable during the farmers’ protests that lasted a year.
