Vice presidential election: Are these NDA faces in race to succeed Dhankhar?

NDA on Thursday authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda to pick the ruling bloc's candidate for vice president election.

Race for the post of vice president of India is set to gain pace with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Thursday authorising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda to pick the ruling bloc's candidate for the election.

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post of vice president of India in July this year citing health reasons (ANI/File)

It was a unanimous decision, Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday after a meeting of key BJP leaders and their allies was held at the Parliament complex where the decision was taken.

Union ministers Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, with Amit Shah JD(U)'s Lalan Singh, Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde, TDP's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, and Chirag Paswan of LJP (Ram Vilas) among those who attended it.

The vice president post remains vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation on July 21, citing health reasons. Since then the next vice president of India remains a common question, with several names floating as contenders for the post.

From the NDA, the names that have surfaced for the race to the post, even though unconfirmed and not from concrete sources, include Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and even VK Saxena.

Are these the NDA frontrunners for Vice President race?

NITISH KUMAR

Bihar chief minister and leader of NDA ally Janata Dal (United), Nitish Kumar, may seem the most unlikely candidate, but speculation make him one of the frontrunners in the race for the post of vice president of India.

There have been many, including NDA allies like Upendra Kushwaha, who have suggested that Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar may step down as CM to make way for the next generation. Supporting that theory is the fact that Union minister Chirag Paswan has announced that he will fight the Bihar election.

HARIVANSH SINGH

Another JD(U) name among the leading ones being discussed for the vice president post is Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh Singh, an MP who has held the role since 2020 and is considered a trusted ally of the government.

According to an earlier report in news agency PTI, the BJP may also consider appointing a state governor—on the lines of Dhankhar, who served as West Bengal governor before becoming Vice President—or a senior Union minister with parliamentary experience. A top organisational leader is also not being ruled out.

RAM NATH THAKUR

If reports are to be believed, NDA is also weighing to field a candidate from the backward or extremely backward classes for the vice president post.

Several NDA MPs, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the ruling alliance is leaning toward a nominee from the backward communities and among the names doing the rounds is Ram Nath Thakur — son of former Bihar chief minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Karpoori Thakur, according to a New Indian Express report.

Ram Nath Thakur, who currently is the minister of state for agriculture, belongs to the Nai (barber) community, which falls under the ati-pichhara category.

VK SAXENA

There has been chatter in the political circles over a possible bigger assignment on the cards for Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena, fuelling speculation of him being one of those in the race for vice president's post.

VK Saxena, a former corporate man, played a major role in Delhi politics by apparently blocking administrative moves by the AAP government. From appointments to policies about the Delhi Jal Board, Saxena is said to have been a barricade of sorts for former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. This was eventually seen as one of the factors that cost Kejriwal in the perception battle.

MANOJ SINHA

The lieutenant governor (LG) of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha is finished his five-year tenure on August 6, making several to believe that it is perfect timing to take on the next-level job of being vice president.

A former junior minister of railways and an old BJP hand from Uttar Pradesh, Sinha contributed a degree of stability post the abrogation of Article 370, his supporters say. However, Manoj Sinha's J&K tenure ends with the responsibility of the deadly April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.