Hamid Ansari UPA’s choice for Vice President

New Delhi. The UPA formally declared M Hamid Ansari its candidate for the vice-presidential poll on Saturday.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed Ansari’s name at a meeting of UPA constituents held at his official residence. In the same meeting, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi declared the name of Ansari for the penultimate post.

“Mohd Hamid Ansari will complete shortly a term as Vice President of India. He has presided over the Rajya Sabha with dignity and distinction. The UPA is honoured to nominate him as its candidate for a second term as Vice President of India,” Gandhi said in her brief statement.

Besides the UPA, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP and Mayawati’s BSP promptly came out in support of Ansari. The UPA is also hopeful of getting support from the Left (43 votes) and JD-U (28) to face any contingency, although Sharad Yadav, JD-U chief and NDA convener, said a final call would be taken at the NDA meeting on Monday.
The TMC, the UPA’s second biggest constituent, is still undecided on Ansari. Party chief Mamata Banerjee reportedly told Singh she would convey her decision in two days.
At the meeting, TMC leader and railway minister Mukul Roy suggested former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and former party MP Krishna Bose as his party’s choices.
A career diplomat, Ansari was the only choice of the UPA which was approved at the meeting, also attended by Trinamool Congress representative and Railway Minister Mukul Roy.
The electoral college for the Vice Presidential poll comprises 790 MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. As per the support committed so far, Ansari is expected to get 423, substantially higher than the required 395.