President Kovind accepts Dhankhar's resignation

New Delhi, July 17: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday accepted the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Governor of West Bengal.

Manipur Governor La Ganesan has been appointed to discharge the functions of West Bengal Governor, in addition to his own duties, until regular arrangements are made, a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is the NDA vice presidential candidate, will file his nomination on Monday at 12 pm.

Dhankhar's election as vice president 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.

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.

Meanwhile, BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday urged opposition parties to support the ruling National Democratic Alliance's vice presidential candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar as he cited the West Bengal governor's humble background to seek backing from all parties.

Nadda described Dhankhar as a "kisan putra" (farmer's son) to emphasise on his farming background and his rise through hard work. His nomination by the BJP and its allies as their vice presidential candidate is another step towards empowerment of farmers, Nadda said.