Opposition leaders on Sunday named former Union minister Margaret Alva as their candidate for the Vice Presidential poll.
The election is scheduled to be held next month.
The decision was taken at a meeting held at NCP president Sharad Pawar’s residence.
Alva is a five-term Member of Parliament.
In her career, she had also served as the Governor of Goa.
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu’s term of office is ending on Aug 10.
Accepting her nomination, Alva tweeted: “It is a privilege and an honour to be nominated as the candidate of the joint opposition for the post of Vice President of India. I accept this nomination with great humility and thank the leaders of the opposition for the faith they’ve put in me.”
Alva is a five-term Member of Parliament.
In her career, she had also served as the Governor of Goa.
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu’s term of office is ending on Aug 10.
Alva will contest the polls against NDA nominated candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Dhankhar is the current Governor of West Bengal.
This comes after the BJP-led NDA picked former Jharkhand Governor and tribal leader Draupadi Murmu as its Presidential poll nominee.
In the number game, the BJP is set to sail through in both the contests.
If the candidates win, Murmu and Dhankhar will succeed Ram Nath Kovind and Venkaiah Naidu as the President and Vice President respectively.
Five key points in her political career:
Alva has served as the Governor of Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
A former Rajya Sabha member, she also served as the Vice Chairman of Rajya Sabha from 1983-85.
