Mohammad Hamid Ansari
| 12th Vice President of India | |
|---|---|
| In office 11 August 2007 – 11 August 2017 |
|
| President | Pratibha Patil Pranab Mukherjee Ram Nath Kovind |
| Preceded by | Bhairon Singh Shekhawat |
| Succeeded by | Venkaiah Naidu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 April 1937 Calcutta, India (now Kolkata) |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Other political affiliations |
United Progressive Alliance |
| Spouse(s) | Salma Ansari |
| Children | 1 daughter 2 sons |
| Relatives | Mukhtar Ansari Sibakatullah Ansari Afzal Ansari |
| Alma mater | University of Calcutta Aligarh Muslim University |
Mohammad Hamid Ansari (born 1 April 1937) is an Indian Politician who served as Vice president of India from 2007 to 2017. He has also served as an Indian ambassador and is ex-chairman of Rajya Sabha. Ansari was the first person to be re-elected as Indian VP after Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1957. He also presently serves as President of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Chancellor of Pondicherry University and the President of the Indian Council of World Affairs.
Ansari worked as an ambassador and served as the Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University from 2000 to 2002. Later he was Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2006 to 2007. He was elected as the Vice-President of India on 10 August 2007 and took office on 11 August 2007. He was reelected on 7 August 2012 and was sworn-in by Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India. The oath taking ceremony was conducted at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 11 August 2012. His second term ended in August 2017 since he was not offered another term,he decided not to run for a third term in the 2017 vice-presidential election. Upon the inauguration of Ram Nath Kovind as President of India in 2017, Ansari became the first Indian Vice-President to serve during the terms of three presidents. He was the longest serving chairman of rajya sabha.
On 20 July 2007, Ansari was named by the UPA-Left, the ruling coalition in India, as its candidate for the post of Vice-President for the upcoming election. When asked, Ansari said he felt “humbled” over the UPA-Left decision naming him as their candidate. “I am humbled by the confidence reposed in me”. Ansari refused to say more when asked about his prospects in the August 2007 Vice-Presidential election. Ansari secured 455 votes, and won the election by a margin of 233 votes against his nearest rival Najma Heptullah.
In 2012 VP election, the Congress-led UPA re-appointed Ansari as their candidate for the post of VP. The NDA nominated Jaswant Singh, former Finance, External Affairs and Defence minister as well as former Leader of Opposition. The NDA cited Ansari’s conduct in the Rajya Sabha during The Lokpal Bill, 2011 debate when he had abruptly adjourned the House sine die. Hamid Ansari was re-elected for the second term on 7 August 2012, defeating the NDA’s nominee Jaswant Singh by a margin of 252 votes.
According to the Constitution of India, Ansari, as Vice-President of the Republic, also serves ex officio as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
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