NDA has once again suprised everyone by picking Jagdeep Dhnkhar as its Vice Presidential candidate.
The NDA came up with its vice presidential candidate just a day before the filing of the nomination. JagdeepDhankhar the governor of West Bengal is its VP choice and he is all poised to become the next Vice President of the country replacing the outgoing Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
As always the BJP came up with a surprise name. The people who were front runners were side-lined by a wildcard entry. The name of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was doing the round after he resigned as the minister and many thought that his Muslim credentials would go in his favor. But that was not to be. Like the presidential candidate of the NDA, the vice presidential candidate is also a governor.
JagdeepDhankhar, 7, is a seasoned politician from Rajasthan. He comes from a humble background who made a name in the legal profession and then moved to politics. Interestingly enough he has a socialist background. He started his political career with Devi Lalas his mentor and then joined V.P Singh-led Janata Dal and left it when Devi Lal moved out. He became Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs in 1990 in the Chandra Shekhar government. Dhankar joined the BJP around 2008. Presently he is serving as the governor of West Bengal.
His present assignment is where he received bouquets and brickbats alike. He was never at ease with the West Bengal chief minister MamataBanarjee and had several tiffs with her. He criticized her for slack law and order and the recent poll violence in the state.
Mamata curtailed his powers by taking away the Chancellorship of universities. Ironically Mamata might not support her in the election but would have sighed with relief as Dhankhar was not walk over and asserted when he had to, making the chief minister uncomfortable. Interestingly the CPM has accused Mamata of having a clandestine understanding with the BJP as she had an hour-long meeting with him just before his name was announced by the party
It is his present assignment that might have been the reason for his party choosing him for the plum post. His aggressiveness and unflinching loyalty to the party paid. Jagdeep Dhankhar has been called 'Kisan Putra' by the prime minister. It would be interesting to note how Dhankhar performs in a high constitutional post that is more or less reserved for retiring politicians.
