New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to finalise its candidate for the Vice Presidential post today, July 16, in its parliamentary board meeting scheduled to be held later in the day, sources said.

Two state governors, i,e West Bengal's Jagdeep Dhankhar and Kerala's Arif Mohammed Khan,  are competing primarily for the coveted position. Lurking somewhere in the shadows is former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Source said, Dhankhar has emerged as the "frontrunner," but the Kerala governor is not far behind. As the ruling alliance has a clear majority in the electoral race, the NDA candidate's victory is a given. The BJP would likely contact the opposition parties and its partners after settling on a name to try to reach an agreement.

Since incumbent M. Venkaiah Naidu's term ends on August 10, voting to select India's 16th vice president will take place on August 6. The results will be made public on the same day, August 6, and the new vice president will take office on August 11. The deadline for submitting nominations is July 19. Besides these three individuals, two other Sikh leaders, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, are reportedly also involved.

Sources claim that the BJP is leaning toward Dhankhar and Khan, but the Opposition is still struggling with how to choose a joint candidate. A meeting of the opposition has been called by Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, to discuss the vice presidential election on July 17.

Dhankhar, a Jat leader from Rajasthan and former Lok Sabha MP from Jhunjhunu, has emerged as the "front-runner." In 2019, he was appointed governor of West Bengal. He and chief minister Mamata Banerjee have been at odds ever since he took office.

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