Vice presidential polls: Alva better candidate than Dhankhar, says Kharge

New Delhi, July 17: Hours after Opposition parties on Sunday decided to field former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva as their joint candidate for the Vice presidential election, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said she is better than the ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar.

"Our candidate is from the minority and is better than their candidate. If they will support our candidate (Margaret Alva) then it will be a unanimous poll," ANI quoted Kharge as saying.

His comments come after Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda appealed to Opposition parties to support Jagdeep Dhankhar in vice presidential polls.

"Opposition's candidate for the post of Vice President of India is to be Margaret Alva," said NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The Opposition leaders finalised Alva's name after a meeting held at the residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar which was attended by all major opposition parties including the Congress, TMC, CPIM, RJD, SP, and others.

Alva has earlier served as the governor of Rajasthan. Born in Mangalore in 1942, She was made Central Minister at the age of 42, which in those days was a rarity. Her father belonged to the Indian Civil Service. She was married into the Alva family, from Mangalore.

Meanwhile, Alva said she accepts with "great humility" her nomination for the August 6 poll and thanked leaders of various parties for reposing faith in her.

"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. Jai Hind," Alva tweeted soon after the opposition parties announced her name.