New Delhi [India]:  Senior Congress leader as well as previous Union Minister Margaret Alva is the oppositions’s joint candidate for the August 6 vice president election.

” Opposition’s candidate for the post of Vice President of India is to be Margaret Alva,” said NCP Chief Sharad Pawar.
The statement came a day after the BJP-led National Democratic Partnership (NDA) stated West Bengal guv Jagdeep Dhankhar will be its candidate for the Vice Presidential election.

” We attempted to call West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee yet she was active in some conference. We also attempted to contact Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. He introduced support (for Yashwant Sinha) a couple of days ago & will announce his support (for Margaret Alva) quickly,” Pawar added.

The opposition leaders finalised her name after a meeting held at the home of NCP principal Sharad Pawar which was gone to by all major opposition celebrations including the Congress, TMC, CPIM, RJD, SP, as well as others.

She has earlier worked as the governor of Rajasthan.

Margaret Alva was made Central Minister at the age of 42, which in those days was a rarity.

Alva was born in Mangalore in 1942, grew up in various parts of the previous Madras Presidency, as well as drank the culture of the state, parts of which currently belong to Andhra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

Her dad belonged to the Indian Civil Service. She was wed into the Alva family members, from Mangalore in South Canara, which has a composite culture.

She was drawn into the political scene while sticking with her in-laws, both parliamentarians. She was chosen for four succeeding terms to the Rajya Sabha, and one term in the Lok Sabha.

Alva thought a number of responsibilities, under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi as well as Narasimha Rao.