Government Seeks Law Ministry’s Opinion on VP Election Timeline

After Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Sudden Resignation, EC Begins Preparations; BJP to Consult RSS and NDA Allies on Successor

By MANISH ANAND

NEW DELHI, July 23, 2025 – Government is learnt to have checked with the Ministry of Law and Justice on the timeline for holding election for the post of the Vice President. The government is specifically learnt to have sought clarity on timeline for holding the election.

As a routine exercise, the Election Commission has also begun preparations for the election for the post of the Vice President. Sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar, while citing health concerns, has vacated the post of the Vice President.

“The Ministry of Law and Justice was asked to specifically state the timeline in which the election for the post of the Vice President has to be held. The secretary in the ministry has shared his opinion on basis of Constitutional provisions,” said a highly placed source in the government.

The source stated that the “Law secretary has conveyed that the Constitutional provision mandates holding election for the post of the Vice President as soon as possible.” “Unlike a vacancy in the Rajya Sabha that needs to be filled within a timeframe of six months, the poll for the post of the Vice President has no such timeline and ‘as soon as possible’ is subjective,” added the source.

Sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the party top brass may not be in a hurry to decide on the successor of Dhankar, who quit the post in a jiffy. “The BJP is already struggling to find a successor for incumber party chief Jagat Prakash Nadda due to various reasons, including a lack of consensus within the saffron family. The choice for the nominee for the election for the Vice President will also require consultations with the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS),” a senior BJP functionary told TRH.

The BJP had zeroed in on Dhankar for the Vice President election seemingly with an eye on Jat vote base in western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan. With Dhankar for the second highest Constitutional post, the BJP had also sought to buy peace with farmers’ community, which had been agitating due to a number of demands.

“Consultations within the BJP will precede an outreach to the top brass of the RSS. Afterwards, the allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be consulted,” another senior BJP functionary told TRH.

The BJP is likely to weigh on several factors, including most importantly the political messaging, while picking up the nominee for the election for the post of the Vice President.

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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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