Jagdeep Dhankhar, former Bengal governor, sworn-in as India’s vice president

Former West Bengal Governor and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar was Thursday sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India. Dhankar’s oath was administered by the country’s newly elected president Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former President Ram Nath Kovind, former vice president Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and several other leaders were present at the oath taking ceremony of the new vice president.

Ahead of his swearing-in, Dhankhar visited Raj Ghat in Delhi and paid his respects to ‘Pujya Bapu’ Mahatma Gandhi.

“Felt blessed, inspired and motivated to be ever in service of Bharat in serene sublimity of Raj Ghat while paying respects to Pujya Bapu,” Dhankhar tweeted sharing pictures from his visit.

Dhankhar was elected as the Vice President on August 6, securing 74.36 per cent – the highest ever votes received in the last six vice presidential elections held since 1997. He defeated the Opposition’s Margaret Alva to emerge as a winner.

Dhankhar will also preside over the Rajya Sabha as the ex-officio Chairman.

Dhankhar belongs to an agrarian household in a village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district and completed his school education from Sainik School, Chittorgarh. After finishing his graduation in physics, he pursued LLB from the University of Rajasthan. Despite being a first-generation professional, he became one of the leading lawyers in the state.

Dhankhar, 71, has practised in both the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court of India. He entered public life after getting elected as a Member of Parliament from Jhunjhunu in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections on a Janata Dal ticket. He also served as a Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 1990. His politics was initially influenced by former deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal.

Dhankhar was appointed as the Governor of Bengal in 2019 and was known for his frequent run-ins with the Mamata Banerjee government. He resigned from the post of West Bengal Governor on July 17 after his name was announced as the vice Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

With Dhankhar’s election as Vice-President, the presiding officers of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be from Rajasthan.