Shock exit: Dhankhar quits as VP on first day of Parl session

NEW DELHI: It was business as usual till around 4pm for Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. He presided over the opening day of the monsoon session of Rajya Sabha and attended a meeting of the business advisory committee of the House. At 3.53pm, a govt statement said the VP would be visiting Jaipur on Wednesday.

Such a trip, while Parliament is in session, would have raised eyebrows. A few hours later, Dhankhar dropped a bombshell, abruptly announcing his resignation with immediate effect two years before his tumultous term was to end. "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 wrote in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu.


The move immediately set off speculation about the real trigger, with many wondering as to the nature of the medical condition that necessitated his quitting the constitutional position, second only to the President in protocol.

Also read: As Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns, NDA in huddle over VP post; who’s in the running?

Few were convinced about the health explanation, particularly given that those who visited him in recent months detected signs that he was less than happy, even as he made it a point to swear by the present political leadership.

He underwent a cardiac procedure at AIIMS in March after he complained of uneasiness. On June 25, he had fainted while delivering a speech at Nainital. But he seemed to be in fine fettle on Monday, making his trademark interventions and betraying no sign of the graveness he invoked to explain his exit.

Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in Aug 2022 and his tenure was till 2027.

Dhankhar caught govt unawares on by allowing notice against Justice Varma

Jagdeep Dhankhar is the only vice president to quit while not in contention for presidentship. R Venkatraman, S D Sharma and K R Naryanan had resigned after becoming President, while V V Giri had quit to contest as an Independent for President. Bhairon Singh Shekhwat had stepped down on moral grounds after losing to Pratibha Patil in the presidential contest.


Watch: 'Will resign in 2027, subject to divine intervention,' Dhankhar's old video resurfaces


In his resignation letter, Dhankhar thanked President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, the council of ministers, and all MPs for extending support to him during his tenure. "I extend my deepest gratitude to the President of India for her unwavering support and the soothing wonderful working relationship we maintained during my tenure. I express my deep gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. Prime Minister's cooperation and support have been invaluable, and I have learned much during my time in office," he said in his letter.

But the development came as a surprise to many in govt, although a few admitted to have noticed signs of restiveness in the voluble former Supreme Court lawyer.

The inaugural day also saw the VP allowing submission of motion for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of Allahabad high court: something that would equip him with the same say as the Lok Sabha Speaker in picking the three members of inquiry panel that would go into charges against the judge. This was perhaps the first such instance when the two Houses moved in parallel for removal of a judge. Significantly, the opposition was allowed to submit the motion a day after govt had announced at the all-party meeting on Sunday that LS would make the first move against the HC judge. Many saw this through the prism of the lawyer's interest in matters legal; especially his criticism of judiciary, but it struck many as unusual.

The governing party had also seemed surprised when he allowed LoP in RS Mallikarjun Kharge to speak at length on the alleged security lapse that enabled the terrorists at Pahalgam to conduct their deadly carnage and US President Donald Trump's claims to have dragged India to the negotiation table during Operation Sindoor. Treasury benches felt that as the chairman, Dhankhar should have allowed Kharge to have his say only during the debate that is set to happen.

But none of it seemed to qualify to be a trigger for his announcement. The timing: the inaugural day of a session when opposition aspires to put govt under pressure, could not be comforting for the governing coalition. To many, it seemed to be meant to embarrass govt. Opposition, which relentlessly attacked Dhankhar for alleged partisanship and twice came close to moving no-confidence motions against him, appears to have already smelt an opportunity and would like to cash in on it.

The resignation seemed just as dramatic as BJP leadership's original decision to elevate him to the position. The decision to appoint him as West Bengal governor was seen as too generous for the new entrant to BJP who had once served as minister of state in the short-lived V P Singh govt. Despite the surprise, there is near unanimity in political circles that Dhankhar is not going to hang up his boots anytime soon. Those who have been interacting with him speak about a fresh innings: this time as a farmer representative belonging to Jat community who has served in the second most important constitutional position.