Mohammad Hamid Ansari was on Saturday sworn-in as the 12th Vice President of the country at an impressive ceremony here. He will assume office as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
The 70-year-old Ansari was administered the oath of office by President Pratibha Patil in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top leaders at Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
The function was also attended by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, several Cabinet ministers and Leader of the Opposition L K Advani.
Scholar-diplomat Ansari was elected Vice President on Friday. The UPA-Left nominee bagged 455 votes in the electoral college of 788, defeating NDA candidate Najma Heptullah by a big margin of 233 votes.
He succeeds Bhairon Singh Shekawat, who quit soon office after his poll defeat in the Presidential election on July 21. Shekhawat was among those present during the swearing-in ceremony at the Ashoka Hall.
