Mumbai, August 6: Margaret Alva, 80-year-old Congress leader lost the Vice Presidential election which concluded today, August 6. Alva who was the joint Vice Presidential candidate of the Opposition lost to NDA nominee Jagdeep Dhankhar, former governor of West Bengal.

NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankar won the Vice Presidential election by 346 votes as he bagged 528 of the total 725 votes that were cast. Meanwhile, Alva managed to receive only 128 votes in the Vice Presidential election.

On July 17, Alva was chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate by 17 Opposition parties during a meeting held at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. Two days later, she filed her nomination for the vice presidential election as Opposition candidate. Jagdeep Dhankhar Elected India’s New Vice President, Defeats Opposition Candidate Margaret Alva by 346 Votes.

The Vice President of India, which is the second-highest constitutional post in the country after the President, is elected through an electoral college consisting of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Born on April 14, 1942, in Mangalore, Karnataka, Margaret Alva was is a lawyer by profession. She has a BA degree from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, and a law degree from Government Law College, Bangalore.

As an advocate, Alva founded Karuna, a non-governmental organisation that focused on issues relating to women and children. In 1964, she married Niranjan Alva, with whom she has a daughter and three sons. However, her husband died in 2018.

Did you know? 5 years after her wedding, Alva entered politics. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha four times and once to the Lok Sabha in 1999 when she won the elections from the Uttara Kannada seat. Vice Presidential Election Result 2022: Jagdeep Dhankar, NDA Nominee Defeats Opposition Candidate Margaret Alva; Here's All You Need To Know About India's New Vice President-Elect.

During her political career spanning over four decades, Alva served as a Union Minister of State and also held the post of governor in four states - Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand. At 42, she was made a central minister by Indira Gandhi. Later, she went on to hold the same post under prime ministers Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao.

In 2008, Alva was mired in controversy, after the Congress leader alleged that tickets for the Karnataka elections that were held that year were “sold".

Interestingly, Dhankhar and Alva have several similarities. Firstly, the two have been governors, and union ministers during their political careers so far. The two also have a Congress background, and a law degree and have been elected to the Lok Sabha as well.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2022 09:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).