Jagdeep Dhankhar Resigns: Who will be next V-P? A veteran BJP leader or someone from NDA allies? What we know

Jagdeep Dhankar Resigns: The Election Commission has begun the process of electing a new Vice President days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post citing medical grounds.

Dhankhar’s five-year term would have ended in August 2027. But his abrupt resignation has mandated the election of a Vice President to be held as soon as possible.

The poll panel has not announced dates of elections yet.

Whenever the date is announced, the ruling National Democratic Alliance and the opposition INDIA bloc will field candidates for the top post. The electorate for the Vice Presidential election comprises all members of both Houses of Parliament, using a proportional representation system via single transferable vote. The MPs will cast a single transferable vote with a secret ballot.

As things stand, the numbers are in the NDA’s favour, and the ruling alliance candidate will win the race, in all likelihood. But even within the ruling alliance, many names are doing rounds in political circles, even as there is no official word.

Ever since Dhankhar’s surprise resignation, Harivansh Narayan Singh, a Janata Dal (United) MP, the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman, has been declared front runner for the post. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha’s names are also doing rounds.

BJP chief JP Nadda met Ram Nath Thakur — Minister of State for Agriculture and son of former Bihar chief minister Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur — on Wednesday. The meeting sparked buzz about Thakur being Dhankhar’s successor.

But what remains to be seen is whether the BJP will pick a probable president from the party or its allies. For the record, Harivansh, Ram Nath, and Nitish Kumar are all leaders of the JD-U, the BJP’s biggest ally. The other big ally that the BJP has in the NDA is the TDP. No name from the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP has been making rounds so far.

New VP from BJP?

Some reports suggest that the next Vice President will be from the BJP and not from any ally parties.

All these are speculations. Perhaps, like in the past, the BJP will come up with a surprise pick – an unexpected name nobody speculated.

Until then, more names will be added to the list of frontrunners for Vice President of India.