Ecostani | VP Poll: The Dhankhar versus Alva battle is all about perception

For the election, Margaret Alva — a minority and a woman —can pose a challenge by raising issues affecting people and Parliament. Dhankar may seek help from old friends.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, picked West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its candidate for the vice-president election. The surprise choice is an indication that the government is opting for a more confrontationist approach in the upper house of Parliament, which, if elected, Dhankhar, will chair. The opposition has selected Congress veteran Margaret Alva for the poll.

Vice-president candidates Margaret Alva and Jagdeep Dhankar.  (File Photos)

Dhankhar, as governor of West Bengal since November 2019, had shared an acrimonious relationship with state chief minister Mamata Banerjee, prompting the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) to seek his removal from President Ram Nath Kovind in 2021. Dhankhar had used his powers as governor to raise questions about the functioning of the West Bengal government on issues of corruption, violence and misgovernance.

Although TMC accused him of turning the governor’s office into an extension of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the TMC was rarely able to find whether Dhankhar had violated any rule segregating the powers of the chief minister and the governor. Even the TMC leaders in West Bengal admit that it was difficult to catch Dhankhar on the wrong foot when it came to administrative rules, Constitution and legislative assembly work. So much so, he nominated the deputy speaker to induct new members such as BJP turned TMC leader Babul Supriyo, instead of the speaker, and the TMC had to agree as Dhankhar refused to change his stand. His model is now being replicated in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has alleged, with regard to governor R N Ravi, a former bureaucrat.

Born on May 18, 1951, at Kithana, a village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, the septuagenarian completed his schooling and college in Rajasthan. He passed his graduation with Physics honours from Rajasthan University. He completed his law degree from the same university and enrolled as an advocate in the Rajasthan Bar Council. Since 1990, he practiced mainly in the Supreme Court. Being a lawyer, a former member of Parliament and an avid “student” of legislative rules, the BJP believes Dhankhar has the skills to manage the more complex upper house where the party lacks an absolute majority even though it is the single largest party.

Not from being the RSS background and considered more to be a socialist leader, Dhankhar would try to break the opposition ranks by seeking help from his old-time Janata Dal friends. He started his political career with the Vishwanath Pratap Singh-led Janata Dal and had been in the Congress also, before joining the BJP in 2003. And the first sign of this was visible on Saturday itself, when Bihar's chief minister, Nitish Kumar, was first among the non-BJP NDA leaders to announce its support to him.

It is well-known that Dhankhar is friends with several senior leaders in the Congress including Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot. His younger brother, Randeep Dhankhar, is a Congress leader in Rajasthan and considered close to Gehlot. In the present term, Gehlot nominated Randeep’s daughter as a member of the State Information Commission, the state’s transparency watchdog, and in his last tenure (2008-2103), Randeep was Rajasthan Transport Development Corporation chairperson. People in the Rajasthan Congress say that Jagdeep has met the chief minister a few times since he became West Bengal governor.

In his description, BJP national president JP Nadda could not hide the role of Dhankar in West Bengal as a reason for his election over Kerala governor Mohammed Arif Khan and former minority affairs minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, whose names were also making rounds. Nadda described Dhankhar as “kisan putra” and the one who worked “out of the box” to be the “People Governor” of West Bengal. More than that, his image as a gritty public figure with a pugnacious attitude within the fairly circumscribed governor’s role and duty, was a reason for Dhankhar getting a nomination for vice-president election.

Unlike the president, whose role is more ceremonial, the vice-president as Rajya Sabha chairperson has to be more political with the ability to take the opposition leaders along. In the past year, Rajya Sabha chairperson, M Venkaiah Naidu, had been stern with agitating opposition leaders with 12 opposition MPs suspended for the entire winter session. The opposition has accused the chair of “stifling” their voice on the floor of the house. In all probability, Dhankhar will toe Naidu’s line and will continue to be stern with opposition.

Article 64 of the Constitution says the prime job of the vice-president is to run the council of states (Rajya Sabha), unless he takes over the responsibilities of the President. The members of the two houses of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, constitute Electoral College for the vice-president election, unlike for the President, where state assemblies are also part of the Electoral College. The BJP and its allies have enough numbers in the two houses to ensure Dhankhar’s victory.

On Sunday, 17 opposition parties including Shiv Sena announced veteran Congress leader and former Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva, 80, as the vice-president candidate. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar expected the support of Banerjee and the Aam Aadmi Party taking the total strength of 19 parties. He also said the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which had supported NDA candidate, Droupadi Murmi, will support Alva. The opposition parties announced the candidate after the ruling party, unlike in the presidential election, where the opposition named, Yashwant Sinha, before the NDA’s Murmu’s name was announced.

Political observers say that Mamata Banerjee is likely to support Alva in opposing Dhankhar, whom the West Bengal chief minister has accused of being a Rashtriya Swayansewak Sangh (RSS) agent in Raj Bhawan in the past. It is intriguing that Banerjee, so far, has been relatively restrained in articulating her stand, prompting speculation that TMC is relieved to see Dhankar leave Raj Bhawan.

The election for the vice-president post is another chance for the opposition to show unity. Murmu’s nomination had broken any essence of opposition unity that the parties could have presented before the 2024 general elections. Apart from Biju Janata Dal and YSR Congress, Soren-led JMM and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena announced support for Murmu even though they were part of the resolution to support the opposition candidate. Sinha during his campaign across the country was able to raise issues raging over the nation including the protection of the Constitution and the ruling party trying to divide the nation on religious lines. For the vice-president election, the opposition candidate Alva, who is from a minority community and a woman, can pose a perception challenge to Dhankhar by raising issues affecting people and Parliament. And, if she does better on this count, it would be some victory for the beleaguered opposition.

The views expressed are personal