PM Modi, JP Nadda to pick NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate after Dhankhar's sudden resignation

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday unanimously authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda to select the alliance’s Vice Presidential candidate. The decision was taken at a meeting of NDA floor leaders chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Parliament complex, where leaders from BJP and its allied parties, including JD(U), Shiv Sena, TDP, and LJP (Ram Vilas), were present.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “In the NDA Parliamentary party floor leaders meeting, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, it was unanimously decided that the NDA has given authorisation to start the process, including the selection of candidate to PM and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda. The decision taken by the Prime Minister will be accepted by all the NDA parties.” Among those attending were Union ministers Amit Shah and Nadda, JD(U)'s Lalan Singh, Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, TDP's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Chirag Paswan, Anupriya Patel, and Upendra Kushwaha.

The election has been necessitated following the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21. Dhankhar, who took office on August 11, 2022, stepped down with two years remaining in his term. In his resignation letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, he cited health reasons and wrote, “To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the constitution.”

The Election Commission of India has initiated the process to elect Dhankhar’s successor. As per the official schedule, the last date for filing nomination papers is August 21. The polling will take place on September 9 through secret ballot, and the results will be declared the same day. The elected candidate will serve a full five-year term from the date of assuming office.

The effective strength of the two Houses of Parliament stands at 781, with one vacancy in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha, including one caused by the death of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren. The NDA currently commands a strength of around 422 members, which is well above the majority mark of 391 required for the Vice Presidential election. The Opposition bloc has indicated it may field a separate candidate, but no official announcement has been made.