New Delhi: Jagdeep Dhankar was elected vice president of India on Saturday, August 6, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) securing 528 votes while the joint opposition candidate Margaret Alva polled 182 25.1%)votes.Dhankar, as the 14th Vice President of India, will succeed M. Venkaiah Naidu, whose term will come to an end on August 10. The new vice president-elect will take the oath of office on August 11.The polling which began on 10 am on Saturday, August 6, concluded at 5 pm. According to Election Commission, of the 725 votes polled, Dhankhar clinched 528 votes (72.8%), Alva got 182 (25.1%) while 15 (2.1%) were found to be invalid.The electoral college for the vice-presidential poll comprised 780 MPs – 543 in Lok Sabha and 245 in Rajya Sabha. Barring eight vacant seats in the Upper House and the 39 MPs of Trinamool Congress, which decided to abstain from voting, 744 MPs were expected to vote.Dhankar’s election was a foregone conclusion given that in addition to the support from the ruling alliance, he was also backed by non-NDA parties such as Janata Dal (United), YSR Congress Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Shiv Sena.On the other hand, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) extended support to seasoned Congress leader Alva.The fissures in the opposition’s camp were evident even before polling took place. Trinamool Congress, which has 36 MPs, boycotted the election on grounds that Alva’s candidature was announced without proper consultation.Although the entire Opposition threw its weight behind its presidential nominee Yashwant Sinha, the victory of Droupadi Murmu had brought to the fore cracks in the camp. Around 125 MLAs and 17 opposition MPs had cross-voted in support of Murmu, to give her an overwhelming lead over her rival Sinha. While Murmu had polled 64% of the votes, Sinha had secured 36% of the votes.It is to be seen if there was any cross-voting even in the vice-presidential poll.The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to nominate Dhankar is seen as a politically strategic move by many, for his candidature – projected by the BJP as an elevation of a “kisan putra (son of a farmer) – is an attempt by the ruling party to better its political image among farmers. Since the onset of farmers’ protests against the three farm laws – which were later repealed – BJP’s political stock among farmers fell drastically.As the chairman of Rajya Sabha, Dhankar’s role would also be crucial for the ruling party to help sail through legislative processes without any impediment in the Upper House, where it does not enjoy a majority. In fact, Dhankar was accused of politicising his gubernatorial position in West Bengal due to his frequent run-ins with the Trinamool Congress government there. The 71-year-old vice-president elect is a Jat leader from Rajasthan and practiced as a lawyer.