Vice Prez poll: Hamid Ansari to file nomination today

New Delhi, July 18 (ANI): Vice President Hamid Ansari will file nomination papers here today for his re-election to the post.

Ansari will submit four sets of nomination papers to Lok Sabha secretary general TK Vishwanathan, who is the returning officer for the August 7 vice presidential election.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, leaders of UPA constituents, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury are expected to be present when Ansari submits his nomination papers.

Ansari is expected to get around 470 votes. If the Trinamool Congress (TMC) also decides to support his candidature, then he is expected to get over 500 votes.

Ansari will lock horns with NDA candidate Jaswant Singh in the poll. Ansari's term as Vice President ends on August 10.

Ansari, 75, a career diplomat who has also served as Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, will emulate the late philosopher-statesman S Radhakrishnan, who got two terms as vice-president between 1952 and 1962.

In 2007, Ansari was a surprise choice for Vice President when the Left parties-which were supporting the UPA-I government from outside-proposed his name and the Congress-led alliance accepted it.

He secured 455 votes, and won the election by a margin of 233 votes against his nearest rival Najma Heptullah. (ANI)