
Announcement of Elections and Why Dhankhar Resigned
The Election Commission declared that the Vice Presidential election will be conducted on September 9. This followed Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation.
He tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament.
In the letter, he claimed that health issues compelled him to do so.
Dhankhar's Term and Timeline
Dhankhar took charge on August 11, 2022, and his term was to run until August 2027.
But he resigned after a tenure of two years and 344 days.
Subsequently, the Election Commission announced the complete schedule:
- August 7: Date of issue of notice
- August 21: Deadline for filing of nominations
- September 9: Polling and results on same day
Probable Candidates for Vice President
There is curiosity to know who the NDA alliance will choose.
Names of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, JDU leader Harivansh Narayan Singh, and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor have emerged as probable candidates.
Media reports say the BJP could pick a candidate according to its principles and ideology.
Parliamentary Strength and Vote Numbers
The number of members in both Houses of Parliament is 786, including vacant seats.
A candidate would need to be supported by at least 394 members to win.
Existing seat distribution:
NDA:
- 293 members in Lok Sabha
- 129 members in Rajya Sabha
- Total: 422 members
Opposition Alliance:
- 234 members in Lok Sabha
- 79 members in Rajya Sabha
- Total: 313 members
Though not having a majority in both Houses, the opposition is gearing up to fight the election.