Hamid Ansari has been elected as the next Vice-President. The ruling UPA-Left combine?s candidate was declared victorious on Friday after he sailed through comfortably with 455 votes, leaving his two challengers far behind. Najma Heptulla, supported by the NDA, came second with 222 votes while Rashid Masood, propped up by the UNPA managed only 75 votes. Ten votes were declared invalid.
Ansari, a distinguished career diplomat, brings with him a wealth of experience as an academician and a writer in a career spanning over four decades. Born in Kolkata in 1937, Ansari joined the foreign service in 1961 after studying at Shimla?s St Edwards High School and St Xavier?s College in Kolkata. He also served as the vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Before being nominated for the post, Ansari was chairman of the National Commission for Minorities. Considered an intellectual with Left-of-the-Centre leaning, Ansari will be the second diplomat to occupy the vice-presidential seat after KR Narayanan.
Ansari?s election as Vice-President was a foregone conclusion, given that the votes were stacked heavily in his favour. Among those who cast their votes early Friday morning for Ansari included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Among other early voters were Union ministers, prominent leaders of UPA and NDA alliance partners and leaders of Left parties.
For the NDA, the decision to field Heptulla despite knowing that she would lose was the result of absence of consensus on the presidential elections. Claiming that it was pure ability that determined their decision to field Heptulla, Opposition leader LK Advani said, ?She has a vast experience in running the House as its deputy chairman for several years.?
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Advani cast their votes after the House was adjourned for the day.