Will uphold Constitution, dignity of Rajya Sabha: Venkaiah Naidu

 A "humbled" M Venkaiah Naidu today expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the MPs who voted for him, and promised to uphold the Constitution and the dignity of the upper house of Parliament.

NDA nominee Naidu was today elected as India's next vice-president, receiving an overwhelming two-third votes against opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Thanking the prime minister and all party leaders for their support, Naidu said, "I will seek to utilise the vice presidential institution to strengthen the hands of the president and uphold the dignity of the upper house."

The vice-president is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

"It's an honour for me to become vice-president from a family of an ordinary farmer. This speaks for the beauty & strength of our democracy," he added.

Naidu got 516 votes out of total 771 votes cast, while Gandhi could manage 244 votes. Of the total 771 votes polled, 11 were found to be invalid.

"I promise to uphold the Constitution and the high standards set by my esteemed predecessors," he said in series of tweets.