Vice-President candidates: Lucky by birth?

New Delhi: After the Presidential race, the spotlight has moved to the Vice-Presidential election which is already witnessing its share of politicking with every political party keen on presenting its secular credentials.

All the three candidates fielded so far are Muslims. And while, they may be "career Muslims", it’s their birth into the community which has determined their choice.

Here’s a brief profile of the contenders.

Hamid Ansari: His career graph is slightly different from those of his rivals. Hamid Ansari has taken the diplomatic route like K R Narayanan did 15 years ago to aim for the Vice President's job. That doesn't make him less political than the other two.

Najma Heptullah: But when it comes to profile and stature, Ansari comes a distant second to this woman politician. Heptullah acquired a following and acceptability of her own when she conducted the proceedings in the august upper house as the deputy chairperson. " I have moved in these corridors for years,” she says.

Rashid Masood: For Masood, this is really a big stage. A sitting Samajwadi Party MP from Uttar Pradesh, Masood was the first candidate to file his nomination papers on July 20 accompanied by UNPA leaders - Telugu Desam Party chief, N Chandrababu Naidu and Samajwadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

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