Jagdeep Dhankhar sworn in as 14th Vice President of India

Former West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was on Thursday sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to Dhankhar (71) in a brief ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Dhankhar took the oath in Hindi in the name of god. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Dhankhar’s predecessor M Venkaiah Naidu were among the dignitaries present at the ceremony.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday hosted Naidu and his successor Dhankhar at his residence. Naidu and Birla shared insights and experiences on issues of national interest and parliamentary affairs with Vice President-elect Dhankhar, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance candidate Dhankhar won the vice-presidential election on Sunday with a huge vote share of 74.36 per cent, the highest in the last six vice presidential elections, bagging 528 votes against joint Opposition pick Margaret Alva’s 182 votes.

A day after the election, the Election Commission on Sunday issued a certificate announcing the election of NDA candidate Dhankhar as the 14th Vice President of India. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey signed the “Certification of the Election” of Dhankar.

A signed copy of the certificate was handed over to the Union Home Secretary by senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma and Narendra N Butolia, senior Principal Secretary in the EC, the poll panel said. The signed copy will be read out at the time of oath taking ceremony of the new Vice President on August 11.

As the outgoing Vice President, Naidu hosted a series of high tea receptions in the last week for the officials and staffers of the VP Secretariat, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, the team of doctors and the Air Force crew who performed duties for him. Naidu was given an emotional farewell by the members at these gatherings, who recalled their pleasant memories of working for the Vice President, the statement said.

---

Next Story :

Now you can get latest stories from Indtoday on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.  Click to follow Indtoday Facebook page and Twitter and on Instagram. For all the latest Hyderabad News updates