NEW DELHI, Aug 7: Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari has been elected to a second term to the largely ceremonial office.
Lower House Secretary-General T.K. Vishwanathan said Ansari defeated Jaswant Singh by 252 votes Tuesday.
Ansari was supported by the ruling Congress Party and its allies while Singh was the nominee of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.
The electoral college that votes for the vice president comprised nearly 800 lawmakers from Parliament.
Outgoing Indian President Pratibha Patil, center, waves to the media, as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left, and Vice President Hamid Ansari, second right, and Speaker of lower house Meira Kumar, right, watch as they enter the Central Hall of the Indian Parliament in New Delhi. (AP)
Seventy-five year old Ansari was first elected vice president in August 2007. He was the ambassador to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan during his diplomatic career.
Former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was elected president last month. His job also is largely ceremonial.
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