Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns: What’s next after the Vice-President steps down mid-term?

India’s Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, has stepped down from his post, leaving the second-highest constitutional seat in the country vacant. He also held the position of Rajya Sabha Chairman, which is now empty too. In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Dhankhar said he is resigning for health reasons. He mentioned that he wants to focus on his well-being and take care of his health.

Now that both important roles, Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman, are vacant, the government will have to begin the process of finding a new person to fill these positions.

Who will take over the Vice President’s post?

The Vice President’s position will remain empty until a new person is elected by the members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, who together form the electoral college.

The seat will stay vacant until a fresh election is held. However, the Indian Constitution does not set a fixed deadline for when this election must take place if the Vice President’s post becomes vacant.

Would the Deputy Rajya Sabha Chairman step in?

With the resignation letter, Dhankar has also resigned from his post as Rajya Sabha Chairman. Until a new Vice President is elected, the constitution allows the deputy chairman to fill in and serve as the interim chair.

It is expected that Harivansh Narayan Singh from Janata Dal (united) would be presiding over the House in Dhankar’s absence.

When will the election for VP be held?

The elections for the Vice President of India normally take place “no later than 60 days” from the expiry of the term of outgoing leader, but in a case like this, where there is a resignation, there is no such existing deadline.

With no deadline being fixed by the constitution, it is required to be held “as soon as possible.”

The schedule for the elections will be announced by the Election Commission of India, and will be conducted under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.

Once the schedule is announced, the voting will be conducted in the capital, through a secret ballot. Every MP in the house casts a vote by ranking candidates in the order they prefer. The candidate that gets the highest first-preference votes is selected as the Vice President.

Once elected, the candidate will serve a full five-year term and stay in the office till 2030, and not just the remainder of Dhankar’s tenure.

Who is eligible for the post?

According to the constitution, the candidate must be a citizen of India, and be at least 35 years old. The candidate must also be eligible for a seat in the Rajya Sabha, and must not hold any office of profit.

Jagdeep Dhankar was elected as the Vice President of India in 2022 where reports state he secured 74.37 per cent of the votes, the highest poll-victory margin since the 1992 election.

From 2019 to 2022, Dhankar served as the Governor of West Bengal. His current tenure was set to end in 2027.

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