M. Venkaiah Naidu Elected Vice-President Of India

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu has been elected as India’s new Vice-President. He was National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in the polls and had been pitted against Opposition's candidate and M.K. Gandhi’s grandson Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

Polling for the election ended at around 5 PM. Out of a total of 785, 771 votes were polled which translates to over 98 per cent voting. Fourteen MPs were absent from voting, including two each from BJP and Congress. Eleven votes were found invalid. Out of remaining 760, Naidu got 516 votes compared to Gandhi’s 244.

The term of incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two consecutive terms, comes to an end on 10 August. The Vice President is the second highest constitutional post in India. The Vice President is the 'ex-officio' Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.

A prominent leader of the BJP, Naidu has served as its national president from 2002 to 2004.

Both as a student leader and political figure, Naidu gained prominence as a brilliant orator, who vigorously championed the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas. His oratory skills and political activism propelled his political career and he was elected as an MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udayagiri constituency in Nellore district in 1978 and 1983. He rose to become one of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh.

After having served in various organisational posts of the BJP at the state and national level, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka in 1998.

He has since been re-elected twice in 2004 and 2010 from Karnataka. ANI