Finding India’s Next Vice President: BJP Runs Caste Lens on Guvs

The Prime Minister is likely to hold final consultations with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat before approving the NDA nominee for the Vice President’s election

By MANISH ANAND

NEW DELHI, August 7, 2025 — With notification issued for the election of India’s next Vice President, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition are likely to unveil their respective nominees soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have wrapped up consultations for the NDA nominee for the election of India’s next Vice President.

The Opposition will soon hold a meeting to consider a joint nominee. The Opposition is mulling to test the ruling NDA on caste line in the Vice President’s election.

“The Prime Minister held a series of meetings of Chief Ministers and a few Governors. Those meetings may be considered as part of efforts to find India’s next Vice President,” said a senior functionary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The saffron outfit may seek a southern face in the Vice President’s election for the purpose of political messaging ahead of the next years Assembly elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The two southern states stay high stakes for the BJP for purpose of ideological expansion.

Political observers are taking curious look at two former Chief Justices of India with links to the two poll-bound southern states. KG Balakrishnan, hailing from Kerala, and P. Sathasivam, who hails from Tamil Nadu, are inviting closer scrutiny. Caste backgrounds of the two former CJIs of the Supreme Court also align with the BJP’s bid for social engineering in election-bound states. Former CJI DY Chandrachud is also mentioned in discussions, but his caste and state (Maharashtra) backgrounds fail the test of the BJP’s strict demand for electoral expediency.

The BJP plays caste card in making choices for the Constitutional posts. With Ram Nath Kovind and Droupadi Murmu, the BJP played the Dalit and tribal cards with eyes on elections. With M. Venkaiah Naidu and Jagdeep Dhankar, the BJP had also played caste cards with regional focus. The BJP had hoped that Dhankar’s elevation to the post of the Vice President would endear the party to restive Jats in the western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

Observers are also taking a curious interest in Bihar Governor Arif Muhammed Khan. Bihar Raj Bhavan, they argue, has been a lucky charm for occupiers of the high Constitutional past. Kovind had made a short journey from Patna to New Delhi to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Unlike BJP’s pasmanda Muslim pitch, Khan is an Ashraf. But he like Dhankar of West Bengal Governor fame has been an ideological flagbearer of the saffron outfit. Yet his chances dim when seen with the BJP’s poor record to give positions of eminence to Muslims.

The Prime Minister is likely to hold final consultations with Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat before giving stamp of approval to the NDA nominee for the Vice President’s election.

Who will be India’s Next Vice President amid BJP’s Kerala Pitch?

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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