NDA VP candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar to file his nomination on Monday

New Delhi, July 18: NDA's vice presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is currently the Governor of West Bengal, will file his nomination on Monday at 12 pm, news agency ANI reported.

Making the announcement on Saturday, BJP president JP Nadda lauded Dhankhar as a "kisan-putra" (son of farmer) who, he said, established himself as a "people's governor".

Dhankhar's election as vice president, who is also the ex-officio chairperson of Rajya Sabha, is almost a certainty as the BJP has a majority in the electoral college comprising members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Out of Parliament's current strength of 780, the BJP alone has 394 MPs, more than the majority mark of 390. The BJP parliamentary board in a meeting, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders, picked the 71-year-old Dhankhar after deliberating over several names from different backgrounds, Nadda said.

After the announcement, Modi tweeted, "Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has excellent knowledge of our Constitution. He is also well-versed with legislative affairs. I am sure that he will be an outstanding Chair in the Rajya Sabha & guide the proceedings of the House with the aim of furthering national progress." Soon after his name was announced, Dhankhar tweeted, "Thank you Narendra Modi ji for nominating me as the Vice President candidate for the vice presidential election."

Dhankhar belongs to the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan.

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was also from the Shekhawati region, held the office as the 11th vice president of the country from August 2002 to July 2007. The Shekhawati region comprises Sikar, Jhunjhunu and nearby areas in north-east Rajasthan.

While Shekhawat, a stalwart Rajput leader and a former Rajasthan chief minister, was from Sikar, Jat leader Dhankhar is from Jhunjhunu. Dhankhar's election as the vice president is almost a certainty as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a majority in the electoral college comprising the members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Since taking over as the West Bengal Governor in July 2019, Dhankhar has had several run-ins with the Mamata Banerjee government. While his proactive conduct has drawn criticism from the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP has backed him, noting that he had stuck to constitutional provisions to ask questions of the Banerjee government.

On the other hand, the Opposition has fielded former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva as their joint candidate for the Vice presidential election. Alva (80) would file her nomination papers on Tuesday, July 19 which is the last date for filing nominations for the August 6 election.