Jagdeep Dhankhar, an advocate, politician, and NDA candidate for vice president, is most remembered for his time as governor of Bengal, where his frequent clashes with Mamata Banerjee made for several headlines and where his voice was frequently more vehement than that of the state’s opposition BJP.
The aggressive nature of Mr. Dhankhar’s interactions with the government before his appointment as Governor of Bengal in July 2019 was viewed by many as following a pattern that had been established in several opposition-ruled states, notably Delhi.
The Trinamool Congress and its leader have reacted strongly to the 71-year-repeated old’s criticisms of the Mamata Banerjee administration over its policies, choices, law and order problems, or administrative issues during the past three years.
However, after his nomination, Ms. Banerjee, who has repeatedly written to Delhi requesting his recall and accusing him of being a BJP stooge, made the unexpected decision to announce she will not cast a ballot in the race for vice president.
Trinamool stated that it wasn’t a sign of backing for Margaret Alva, the opposition candidate, but rather a protest at not being included in the decision to choose the NDA candidate.
However, the decision, which came after a meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Mr. Dhankhar and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s northeastern point man, left room for rumors.
Nevertheless, the Trinamool’s choice will surely help Mr. Dhankhar in the Vice-Presidential polls on Saturday.
In addition to the NDA members, Naveen Patnaik, the president of the Biju Janata Dal, and Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, have vowed to back him.
Following Mr. Dhankhar’s nomination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the leader known as “Kisan putra” would serve a “Kisan putra”
As a lawyer, Mr. Dhankhar is expected to be a good complement to President Droupadi Murmu, who was a teacher before entering politics.
The BJP is expected to benefit from the choice of the Rajasthan leader in the state’s upcoming poll, which will take place in a Congress-ruled territory. Mr. Dhankhar is a member of the politically influential Jat community, which makes up a sizeable portion of the population in Rajasthan and is at conflict with the BJP right now.
Mr. Dhankhar was raised in Kithana, a small town in Rajasthan, and was a lawyer for the Rajasthan High Court and afterwards the Supreme Court.
