Margaret Alva, a joint opposition candidate running for vice president, submitted her paperwork on Tuesday.


To choose M. Venkaiah Naidu's successor once his tenure ends on August 10, the vice presidential election will be conducted on August 6.


She was escorted to submit her nomination papers by several opposition figures, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar among others.






Earlier, after meeting the leaders of opposition parties at the residence of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Margaret Alva on her official Twitter handle writes, "It's a tough election without a doubt, but I'm not afraid to take on the challenge! I sincerely thank the leaders of all the opposition parties who have supported my candidature."






Alva, 80, is competing against Jagdeep Dhankhar, the West Bengal governor who resigned after being nominated by the NDA on Saturday night.


Alva, a former governor of Rajasthan and a seasoned member of the Congress, was selected on Sunday by the opposition parties as their joint candidate for vice president.


The electoral college used to choose the vice president is made up of every member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including those who were nominated.


Who Is Margaret Alva?


Born on April 14, 1942 in Mangaluru, Margaret Alva graduated with a BA, LLb from Mt Carmel College and Government Law College in Bengaluru.


She started her professional career as a lawyer. Alva married Niranjan Alva in 1964, with whom she has a daughter and three sons.


Notably, Alva served as the 17th Governor of Goa, 23rd Governor of Gujarat, 4th Governor of Uttarakhand and 20th Governor of Rajasthan until the end of her tenure in August 2014.


Before being appointed governor, Alva was a senior figure in the Indian National Congress and was also the Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC).


Margaret Alva was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a representative of the Congress in 1974. She served a six-year term and was re-elected for a further three six-year terms, in 1980, 1986 and 1992.