Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar is likely to become the country's next Vice-President, with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday naming him as its candidate for the coveted constitutional post.
"Dhankhar is a 'kisan putra' (son of a farmer) who established himself as people's governor," party chief JP Nadda told the media, following the ruling outfit's parliamentary board meeting in Delhi this evening.
The country's vice-presidential polls are slated for August.
Born on 18 May, 1951, in Kithana, a small village in the western state of Rajasthan, to a farmer family, Dhankhar completed his graduation in law and entered politics at a young age.
He subsequently became a member of the Rajasthan state assembly and then India's Parliament. He also served as a senior advocate with India's Supreme Court.
The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament -- the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the Lok Sabha (Lower House).
The incumbent Vice-President, Venkaiah Naidu's five-year term ends on August 10.