India's ruling UPA picks Ansari as VP
Incumbent Hamid Ansari is the UPA's candidate for the vice president's post and is all set to get a second consecutive term.
If elected, 75-year-old Ansari, current Vice President, will be the second person after Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan to get a second tenure in the post.
The name of Ansari was announced by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a meeting of the Congress-led coalition at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence here this evening.
A career diplomat, Ansari was the only choice of UPA which was approved at the meeting also attended by Trinamool Congress representative and Railway Minister Mukul Roy.
Roy, whose party had opposed Pranab Mukherjee's candidature for president's post last month, is believed to have suggested the name of former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi and former MP Krishna Bose.
However, he applauded the candidature of Ansari once Gandhi announced it.
The electoral college for Vice Presidential election comprises 790 members of parliament.
Erudite and an affable personality, Ansari was among the front runners in the race for the Presidential election next week. His name was UPA's second choice as revealed by Sonia Gandhi but Ansari lost the race to Pranab Mukherjee.
It is not yet clear if BJP will contest the vice presidential poll .
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