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ECI finalises Electoral College list for Vice Presidential election 2025
The Vice Presidential election is set to take place after the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down from the post, citing health reasons.
The Election Commission of India on Thursday said that it has completed the preparation and finalised the Electoral College list for the Vice President Election 2025.
In a post on X, the poll body shared a press note, which said, "...the Commission has finalized the Electoral College list for the Vice-Presidential Election, 2025. These members are listed in a continuous serial order, arranged alphabetically based on the State/Union Territory of their respective Houses."
The development comes nearly two weeks after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the Vice President's office, citing health reasons. "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," he said in his resignation letter on July 21.
Just two days after Dhankhar's resignation, the Election Commission began the process to elect the next Vice President.
Though Dhankhar quit within two years of the five-year term in office, his successor will get a complete term, and not just the remainder.
Under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, the ECI is mandated to conduct the election to the Vice President's office.
As per Article 66(1) of the Constitution, the V-P of India is elected by an Electoral College, comprising elected members of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, and the nominated members of the Upper House.
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The poll body's press note further noted that in compliance with Rule 40 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, the EC is required to prepare and maintain an update list of the members of the Electoral College, along with their recent addresses.
Thereby, the poll body has finalised an Electoral College list for the V-P election 2025. It said that the members are listed in continuous serial order, alphabetically on the basis of the State/Union Territory of their respective Houses.
"The Electoral College list will be available for purchase at a counter set up in Election Commission of India from the date of notification, which is likely to be announced soon," the poll body added.
Who will be the next Vice President?
Speculation has been rife over who will succeed Jagdeep Dhankhar to the office of the Vice President. The names include Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha and Delhi LG VK Saxena.
Another name in the mix is that of Harivansh Narayan Singh, the deputy chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
Harivansh is currently overseeing the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha in the ongoing Monsoon Session following Dhankhar's exit.
