NEW DELHI, 11 August 2007 — Hamid Ansari, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-left combine candidate for vice-presidential election, was declared the winner yesterday evening after a day of brisk voting.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi drove to Ansari’s residence to extend congratulations to him. “Ansariji’s victory is a triumph of merit and triumph of secular values,” Manmohan said after congratulating Ansari. This was the second electoral win for the UPA, which was a “good victory,” while the presidential election was a “tense” affair, Sonia said. She also thanked UPA allies, the left bloc and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for their support. President Pratibha Patil spoke to him on the phone to extend her greetings.
With numbers pitted in his favor, the day’s polling finalizing Ansari’s election to the country’s second highest constitutional office was slated to be a mere formality right from the beginning. Emerging winner in the first triangular fight for this post, with all the candidates Muslims, Ansari takes over as the 13th vice president, succeeding Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
Shekhawat stepped down last month after being defeated by Pratibha Patil in presidential elections. Najma Heptullah, former deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, was the nominee of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance while Rashid Masood was the candidate of newly formed Third Front (United National Progressive Alliance).
In the electoral college of 788 members, consisting of legislators belonging to both houses of Parliament, Ansari needed 393 votes to secure a simple majority. He got 455 votes against 222 secured by Heptullah and 75 by Masood. As the UPA-left combine, with BSP’s support, was sure of 425 votes going in Ansari’s favor, they were confident of his victory. Altogether 762 members cast their votes, with 10 being invalid.
As the vice president, Ansari will be chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, and its chief presiding officer. Awarded the Padma Shri in 1984, Ansari (70) is at present chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). With a career as a distinguished diplomat, Ansari has earlier served as ambassador of India to Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan, high commissioner to Australia and as India’s permanent representative to the United Nations. He was the vice chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University from May 2000 to March 2002 and has served as visiting professor at West Asian and African studies’ center in Jawaharlal Nehru University and at Academy for Third World Studies in Jamia Millia Islamia.
