All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will support Opposition vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva in the upcoming Vice Presidential elections, said party MP Imtiaz Jaleel on Thursday.

The announcement came soon after Opposition leaders’ meeting at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar’s residence. Margaret Alva was also present at the meeting.

“We discussed Margaret Alva’s name and decided that the whole AIMIM party will support her, help her and stand with her. She is a woman and hails from a minority background. The country would be happy to see her, we wish her success,” said AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel.

Earlier today, Alva appealed to all MPs to vote without fear or political pressure for the candidate they believe is best suited for this critical office.

In a video appeal, she claimed she is the best candidate as she has the experience and will work impartially from the chair, besides committing herself to forge consensus on issues of national importance.

“I appeal to each member of Parliament to vote for me in the election on August 6 without any fear. For, truly there is nothing to fear but fear itself. With your support, if elected Vice President, I commit myself to forge consensus on issues of national importance and to work with you – respected members to restore the glory of Parliament,” she said.

On Wednesday, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) declared its support for the opposition’s vice presidential candidate Margaret Alva.

The vice-presidential poll is slated to be held on August 6 as the tenure of incumbent M. Venkaiah Naidu comes to an end on August 10.
Alva filed her nomination for the Vice Presidential election on July 19.

Opposition parties on July 17 decided to field the former Rajasthan Governor as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election.

The decision to field Alva was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders of 17 parties at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

On the other hand, the ruling NDA has fielded West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar as its joint candidate for the post of Vice President.

Dhankar, who is a lawyer by profession, entered politics in 1989. He became the governor of West Bengal in July 2019 and has made headlines since then over his tumultuous relations with the Mamata Banerjee government. He tendered his resignation as the Governor of West Bengal, following the nomination for the vice president post.

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

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress said that the party will abstain from voting in the upcoming Vice Presidential poll. In 2017, the NDA had nominated Venkaiah Naidu as its candidate for the vice-presidential election and he went on to become India’s 15th vice president.