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Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns citing health grounds
The government did not immediately respond to Dhankhar’s resignation, which, people familiar with the matter said, is unlikely to have come as a surprise to it
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, 74, resigned on Monday, citing health grounds, in an unprecedented and unexpected move that came after he presided over the first day of the monsoon session in the Rajya Sabha.
In his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, Dhankhar said, “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.”
“I extend my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency - the Hon’ble President of India for her unwavering support and the soothing wonderful working relationship we maintained during my tenure,” Dhankhar’s resignation letter added.
The government did not immediately respond to Dhankhar’s resignation, which, people familiar with the matter said, is unlikely to have come as a surprise to it.
After Dhankhar’s resignation is accepted by the President, the Election Commission of India will notify a fresh election for the second-highest post of the country. Only the MPs of both Houses are eligible to vote for the selection of the next VP.
Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh will be in charge of the House unless the President asks Dhankhar to continue. According to officials, he is expected to preside over the Rajya Sabha for the remaining term of the monsoon session.
The timing of the resignation surprised many as the VP had planned a meeting of the business advisory committee on Tuesday. On Sunday, Dhankhar had said at an event, “Democracy is never of a kind where the same party will ever come to power.” He had also said, “Every Indian political party and every parliamentarian, to my knowledge, is a nationalist.”
Dhankhar was sworn in as the VP on 11 August 2022, succeeding M Venkaiah Naidu. He was the second VP elected during the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also expressed his deep gratitude to the PM and the Council of Ministers in his letter. “Prime Minister’s cooperation and support have been invaluable, and I have learned much during my time in office.”
While his relationship with Opposition lawmakers was turbulent, Dhankhar praised MPs and added that their “warmth, trust, and affection” will be cherished and embedded in his memory.
“I am deeply thankful for the invaluable experiences and insights I have gained as Vice President in our great democracy. It has been a privilege and satisfaction to witness and partake in India’s remarkable economic progress and unprecedented exponential development during this significant period. Serving in this transformative era of our nation’s history has been a true honour,” he said.
During his short term, the Vice President had frequently hailed India’s economic rise, the strong democratic foundation, and emphasised the supremacy of Parliament over other wings, especially the judiciary, on several occasions. While he oversaw major reforms in the House and made the Rajya Sabha more green, he was also the first VP against whom an impeachment notice was moved by the Opposition in December 2024.
The notice, however, was rejected on technical grounds and the Opposition decided not to move another motion against him.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the “sudden resignation” was “as shocking as it is inexplicable”.
“I was with him alongside a number of other MPs till around 5pm today and had spoken to him over the phone at 7:30pm. No doubt Mr. Dhankhar has to give topmost priority to his health. But clearly there is far more to his totally unexpected resignation than meets the eye. This is not the time for speculation though,” he posted on X.
Ramesh said Dhankhar had fixed a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Tuesday at 1pm and was slated to make some “major announcements” related to the judiciary. “We wish him the best of health but also request him to reconsider his decision. We also expect the Prime Minister to get Mr. Dhankhar to change his mind,” he added.
The Vice President was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi on March 9 this year after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness.He missed several days of the Budget session of 2025, but then returned to work.
In June , he fainted during a Kumaon University event at Nainital.According to some officials familiar with the matter, Dhankhar might give a farewell speech in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
A former lawyer, Dhankhar became the sixth VP to step down in the middle of the term. Most of the others to do so did this when they became the President of India. Former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat resigned in 2007 after he lost the Presidential election to Pratibha Patil. Krishna Kant is the only Vice President who died midway into his term.
Dhankhar was a member of the Lok Sabha from 1989 to 1991 and also served as a Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs in the Chandra Shekhar ministry from 1990 to 1991. Between 1993 and 1998, he was a member of Rajasthan’s legislative assembly. He served as the governor of West Bengal from 2019 to 2022. He has been affiliated with multiple political parties in India, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress , and the Janata Dal (JD).
