It's official: Democrat Biden to take on Trump

New York: Former US Vice President Joe Biden has formally been nominated the Democratic Party's candidate to take on President Donald Trump in the November election, winning the majority in a roll call of states in which a young Indian American student, Bianca Shah, delivered Maryland's votes for him.

With 76 days left as of Tuesday for the November 3 election, the party has officially anointed Biden to battle Trump with Kamala Harris at his side setting the stage for the final showdown and ending his roller-coaster ride to the nomination with wildly fluctuating support in the primaries that at one stage almost wrote him off. At the virtual convention, a formal tally of delegate votes from the primaries had to be taken through a roll call because Biden's remaining rival, the self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders officially remained a candidate despite having formally thrown his support for Biden, who received a total of 3,558, giving him more than a majority.

Biden celebrated the announcement with his family at his home in Delaware with confetti, glitter and balloons. Without delegates and supporters massed at a convention site as in the past, prerecorded scenes of celebrations around the country flashed on the screen in the live telecast of the convention.