West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee must have heaved a sigh of relief on hearing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda announcing the name of her state's governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's name as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) vice presidential candidate. 

Banerjee and Dhankhar had engaged in verbal duel literally over every issue ever since the latter took over as West Bengal governor in 2019.

She had repeatedly written to President Ram Nath Kovind to recall Dhankhar. 

The West Bengal cabinet had recently approved a proposal to replace the governor  with the chief minister as chancellor of state-run universities.

That apart, Dhankhar, 71, had served as a minister in the VP Singh government in 1989-91. 

He was also a Congress legislator in Rajasthan from 1993 to 1998. 

A disciple of late Jat leader Choudhary Devi Lal, he joined the BJP two decades ago. 

A senior Supreme Court lawyer, Dhankhar is a Jat from Rajasthan, which goes to polls in November-December next year. Jats, who along with the Sikhs were at the forefront of the farmers' agitation, constitute about 14% of the total population of Rajasthan. 

Nadda described Dhankhar as the son of a farmer in a clear message to the peasant community that had been upset with the BJP over three farm laws that were later repealed.

The electoral college for electing India's vice president, who is also the Rajya Sabha chairperson by default, comprises members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Out of Parliament's current strength of 780, the BJP alone has 394 members, more than the majority mark of 390.

The last date for filing nomination papers for the vice-presidential polls is July 19 and the voting is scheduled for August 6. 

The opposition parties are also expected to announce their joint candidate soon but the numbers are heavily stacked against them.

It would be interesting to see how Banerjee responds to this move. She has called a meeting of her party's Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members on July 21 to take a call on the vice-presidential elections.

But for now, her verbal duel with Dhankhar has ended.