With Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar stepping down from office, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has unanimously authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda to choose the ruling bloc’s candidate for the vacant post.
The decision was finalised at a high-level meeting of senior BJP leaders and alliance partners held at the Parliament complex on Thursday. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who briefed reporters after the meeting, said, “It was a unanimous decision.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting, which was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief Nadda, JD(U)’s Lalan Singh, Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde, TDP’s Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan.
The vacancy follows Dhankhar’s resignation, triggering the process for the election of a new Vice-President. The Vice-President of India also serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, a position critical for conducting legislative business smoothly.
Also read: Vice President poll set for September 9
This centralised approach to candidate selection mirrors earlier NDA moves, notably the presidential nomination of Droupadi Murmu, where Prime Minister Modi played a decisive role.
With the BJP holding a strong position in the Lok Sabha and a gradually improving tally in the Rajya Sabha, the alliance is expected to push through its nominee with relative ease. Still, the leadership is keen to project a broad consensus, especially in light of recent Opposition attempts to consolidate ranks.
No date has been announced for the declaration of the candidate’s name, but BJP sources hinted that the announcement may come soon, in coordination with the Election Commission’s schedule for the vice-presidential poll.
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