Happy coincidence that LS, RS speakers will be from Rajasthan for first time: Gehlot

Jaipur, July 18

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday said "It is a happy coincidence that for the first time, Lok Sabha-Rajya Sabha speakers will be from Rajasthan.

He said, "For the first time after Independence, the Speaker or Chairman of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are from Rajasthan. This is a happy coincidence."

He was speaking to the media after reaching the assembly for the voting of the Presidential election.

NDA has nominated West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar while UPA has named former Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva as the candidates for the post of Vice-President. Dhankhar is a resident of Kithana village of Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan.

The Vice President happens to be the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Om Birla, a resident of Kota (Rajasthan) is the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Now Dhankhar is most likely going to be the Vice-President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

Answering the question that the UPA is not having required numbers in the presidential election, Gehlot stated, "I said earlier too that this fight is not about any candidate but the fight is about ideology. All the opposition parties made Yashwant Sinha ji their candidate. I said earlier also that if the NDA government and the Bharatiya Janata Party wanted, then after five years an opportunity could have come and they could have involved the opposition by negotiating and fielding a unanimous candidate for the post of President."