New Delhi, August 7 (Agency) Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other leaders extended best wishes to Jagdeep Dhankar, who was elected as the 14th Vice President of India on Saturday. “Congratulations and best wishes to Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar on his being elected Vice President of India,” Sonia Gandhi said in a message. Party leader Rahul Gandhi, in a message said, “Congratulations to Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar ji on being elected as the 14th Vice-President of India.” “Thank you to Smt Margaret Alva ji for representing the spirit of the joint Opposition with grace and dignity,” he said.
Congress General Secretary Communication Jairam Ramesh meanwhile hoped that Dhankar would display the ‘sagacity and objectivity of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and the wit and humour of Venkaiah Naidu”. “I have known Jagdeep Dhankhar for many years, and last year he presided over an online function on my book on the Buddha. I hope he will display the sagacity and objectivity of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and the wit and humour of Venkaiah Naidu, his partyman who became VP,” he said. Ramesh also expressed his disappointment at the Trinamool Congress for not supporting the opposition candidate” Margaret Alva ran a spirited campaign and it was too bad the TMC didn’t support her. India will have to wait for its first woman Vice President. Incidentally, it was my ministerial duty to accompany Aung San Suu Kyi to meet with her friend Margaret Alva in Bengaluru in Nov 2012, “Dhankar was elected as the next Vice President of India as he got 528 votes. Alva got 128 votes.