On July 21 2025, Jagdeep Dhankar who is also the Chairman of Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) has resigned from the post of Vice President of India, India’s 2nd highest constitutional post, with immediate effect citing health grounds. He submitted his resignation letter to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, in accordance with Article 67 (a) of the Constitution.
- Following his resignation, Jagdeep Dhankar became only the 3rd Vice President in India’s history to step down before completing a full term, after VV Giri and R. Venkataraman.
About Jagdeep Dhankar:
i.In August 2022, Jagdeep Dhankar, officially took oath as 14th Vice President of India, with his term set to run until 2027.
ii.He served as the Minister of State (MoS) for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) from 1990 to 1991.
iii.He also served as Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Kishangarh Constituency in Ajmer District, Rajasthan, from 1993 to 1998.
iv.Before elected as Vice President of India, he was appointed Governor of West Bengal(WB) in July 2019, the post he held until mid-July 2022.
Constitutional Provisions Related Vice President of India:
i.According to Article 91 of the Constitution, when the Vice-President’s post falls vacant, the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha discharges the duties of Chairman until a new Vice President is elected.
- Thereby, Harivansh Narayan Singh who is currently serving as the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha will be in charge of the House for the ongoing Monsoon session unless the President asks Jagdeep Dhankar to continue or a new Vice President is elected.
ii.Grounds for Election: As per Clause 2 of Article 68 of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the Vice President which occurs due to his death, resignation or removal or otherwise, should be held as soon as possible.
iii.Election Time Period: As per the Articles 63 to 71 of the Constitution and the Vice-President (Election) Rules, 1974, which govern the election process for the post of Vice President of India. As per these rules, the new Vice President must be elected within 60 days of the resignation i.e. by September 2025.
iv.Electoral College: As per Article 66 of the Constitution, the Vice President is elected by an Electoral College which comprises both elected and nominated members of the Parliament, through a system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
Note: Currently, the Electoral College has 788 Member of Parliaments (MPs) including 543 MPs from Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) and 245 MPs from Rajya Sabha.
v.Qualifications: In order to be eligible for election as Vice-President, a candidate must be a citizen of India; he/she should have completed 35 years of age.
- The candidate must be a registered voter in any part of India and must be eligible for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
- He/She should not hold any office of profit under the Union Government or any state government or any local authority or any other public authority.
