The government on Tuesday formally notified the resignation of 74-year-old Jagdeep Dhankhar from the post of Vice-President of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to Dhankhar for “good health,” but the tone of the message and the timing of events sparked widespread political speculation.
By Tuesday evening, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh emerged as a likely candidate for the Vice-President’s post, following his meeting with President Droupadi Murmu. Harivansh’s Bihar roots — with the state heading into elections soon — further fueled speculation that the ruling BJP might use his elevation as a political message to gain ground in the eastern state.
Even as attention turned to potential successors, the real focus of political discussion remained on why Dhankhar resigned. While the government attributed his exit to health reasons, sections of the Opposition, particularly the Congress, indicated deeper underlying causes. Chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh led the charge, suggesting there was more to the story than illness.
Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda, rejected Ramesh’s claims that both he and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju skipped a crucial Rajya Sabha Business Advisory Committee meeting chaired by Dhankhar on Monday without informing the Vice-President. Nadda clarified that Dhankhar’s office had indeed been notified of their absence.
Meanwhile, PM Modi’s brief and neutral message on X (formerly Twitter) — “Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar Ji has got many opportunities to serve our country in various capacities, including as the Vice-President of India. Wishing him good health.” — was seen by many as lacking warmth and indicative of a growing strain between Dhankhar and the government.
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Tensions are believed to have peaked after Dhankhar’s decision on Monday to accept, and later mention in the Rajya Sabha, a motion initiated by the Opposition seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma in the "cash-at-judge’s-house" case. This move reportedly caught the government off guard and altered its entire strategy.
The government had initially planned to introduce the motion to remove Justice Varma in the Lok Sabha, and had openly discussed this course of action through Minister Kiren Rijiju. However, Dhankhar’s acceptance of a similar, Opposition-led motion in the Rajya Sabha — without informing the government — disrupted the plan. The motion had been signed by 152 Lok Sabha MPs and submitted to Speaker Om Birla on the same day.
Government sources said that because Dhankhar accepted the Rajya Sabha motion, ruling party MPs were unable to sign it, leaving the government embarrassed and politically cornered. According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, if motions for a judge’s removal are received in both Houses on the same day, the presiding officers of both Houses must jointly form a three-member inquiry committee. After the committee’s findings, proceedings begin in the House where the presiding officer is senior — in this case, the Rajya Sabha under Dhankhar.
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This scenario would have handed control of the proceedings to the Opposition-dominated Upper House, undermining the government’s narrative on judicial accountability and weakening its position. As per sources, this development prompted an urgent meeting of senior ministers with the Prime Minister on Monday. Nadda and Rijiju later skipped the 4:30 pm meeting of the Business Advisory Committee chaired by Dhankhar.
Reports also emerged that the government had quietly begun collecting signatures from its MPs on a separate motion — the exact nature of which remained unclear to many signatories. While some said it was another motion for Justice Varma’s removal in the Rajya Sabha, others speculated it may have even been targeted at Dhankhar himself. However, no confirmation was available on the contents of the motion.
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Following Dhankhar’s resignation, the government resumed its original plan to proceed with the judge removal motion in the Lok Sabha. Home Minister Amit Shah met with Speaker Om Birla at his residence on Tuesday evening, after earlier consultations with senior ministers in Parliament. Once the Speaker admits the motion — signed by 152 MPs from various parties — a three-member inquiry committee will be formed, initiating the formal process for judicial removal proceedings in the Lower House.
Meanwhile, the Opposition appeared divided in its stance on Dhankhar. While the Congress labelled his resignation “unprecedented,” Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi reminded critics that it was the same Congress that had led a failed impeachment motion against Dhankhar in December 2024, calling him a “government spokesman” at the time. Jairam Ramesh, who had then accused Dhankhar of partisanship, now questioned the Prime Minister’s subdued response, saying, “The PM’s non-post on X regarding Dhankhar’s forced resignation has only added to the mystery of his abrupt exit. Surely the PM could have been a bit more gracious — he is, after all, the supreme master of hypocrisy. The kisanputra is being denied even a dignified farewell.”
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