Venkataraman elected Indian President
1987 - India’s Congress party nominee Ramaswamy Venkataraman won a to become the eighth President of the Indian Republic. In a virtually straight contest, the incumbent vice-president from the south thrashed his nearest rival, the opposition’s V.R. Krishna Iyer, by more than 450,000 votes. The third contestant, Dr Mithilesh Kumar, cut a sorry figure as the 61-year-old independent candidate from Bihar got only 2,223 votes. The poll outcome came as a shot in the arm for the Congress party, which has been facing growing dissatisfaction following a series of poll reverses and controversies over some defence deals. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said: “Our party is intact, strong and united.”
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