New Delhi: Hamid Ansari took oath as India's 14th vice-president at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday.
He was administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and several union cabinet ministers, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners and leaders from other political parties.
Ansari, 75, polled 490 first preference votes out of 728 valid votes cast in the election held on August 7, while Jaswant Singh polled 238 votes.
Ansari got more votes than he had secured in the 2007 election. He had the backing by the Congress and its allies in the UPA, including the Nationalist Congress Party, DMK and the National Conference.
The Trinamool Congress, which had not announced its decision, also later indicated it would support Ansari.
Outside supporters of the UPA, including the Samajawdi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Bahujan Samaj Party, had also indicated their preference for Ansari. Several of the Left parties also lent him their support.
With Additional Inputs From IANS
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