BJP president J P 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 emphasize 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 the empowerment of farmers, Nadda said.
He has been serving the country for over three decades in different capacities and has proved to be a successful administrator and capable politician, the BJP chief said.
All parties should support him, Nadda said on a day the opposition decided to force a contest for the post of vice president by fielding former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva as its joint candidate for the election scheduled for August 6.
Nadda said Dhankhar's life story reflects the spirit of new India as he overcame innumerable social and economic hurdles in achieving his goals.
Dhankhar's election as vice president, who is also the ex-officio chairperson of Rajya Sabha, 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.
(input from PTI)
