Elections for president, VP are fight about ideology not individual candidates: Ashok Gehlot

File image of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on July 16 said elections for the president and vice president are a fight about ideology and not individual candidates.

After casting cast his vote for the presidential poll, Gehlot said although it is natural that a candidate is welcomed in his home state and people may have sentiments for him, the voting, however, will be based on ideology.

NDA's vice presidential candidate West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar is from Rajasthan who is pitted against joint opposition candidate Margaret Alva who has been the former governor of the state.

"He (Dhankar) has become a candidate from Rajasthan just like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat once became (the VP candidate). If a candidate is from the state, there may be sentiments (for him) among people here, but the voting pattern will remain based on ideology," he said.

Gehlot said the chairman of both the houses of Parliament from Rajasthan is a pleasant coincidence. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is also from Rajasthan.

The CM said both the president and the vice president elections are not fight about the candidates, but the ideology and it should be taken in that spirit.

"This fight is not about any candidate, this fight is about ideology," he said. He said the opposition parties made Yashwant Sinha their candidate for the presidential election. If the NDA government and the BJP wanted, then an opportunity had come in which they could have involved the opposition and come up with a unanimous candidate for President, he said.

Gehlot, however, said in general this does not happen and therefore it should not be a matter of much debate.