Opposition names Gopalkrishna Gandhi as vice-president candidate

India's opposition parties led by the Congress have namedGopalkrishnaGandhi,grandson of Mahatma Gandhi as their vice-president candidate.

The opposition had picked former Lok Sabha Speaker and Congress party leader Meira Kumar as its presidential nominee earlier.

Meira Kumar will take on NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential polls due in a few days.

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Gopalkrishna Devdas Gandhi,71, is a retired IAS officer and diplomat, who was the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.As a former IAS officer, he served as a secretary to the President of India and as High Commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka, among other administrative and diplomatic posts.

Gopalkrishna Devdas Gandhi was also the minister (Culture) in High Commission of India, UK and Director of the Nehru Centre in London.

He was also the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, Sri Lanka and Lesotho and also ambassador of India to Norwayand Iceland before heretired from the IAS in 2003.