Various theories are doing the rounds, including on his successor
Why did Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankar resign will be the most asked question of the day.
Taking the whole country by surprise, Dhankhar, also the Rajya Sabha Chairperson, late Monday night officially resigned from his post with immediate effect, citing health reasons. Dhankar said he was stepping down with immediate effect “to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice”. The resignation, addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, was tendered under Article 67(a) of the Indian Constitution.
Earlier this month, the 74-year-old said that he would retire at the “right time”, subject to “divine interventions” and according to the Opposition Congress there is more to his resignation than meets the eye. The fact is nothing moves in the ruling BJP or the government it runs without the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his second-in-command, Home Minister Amit Shah. Even while holding the second most important Constitutional post in the country, his support for PM Modi and BJP was evident, including inside the Rajya Sabha.
Now various theories are doing the rounds, one of which, of course, is the reason Dhankar himself cited in his resignation—health.
Health
There is no denying the 74-year-old had not been keeping well. He was admitted to AIIMS for “cardiac-related ailments” a few weeks back. Reportedly, he had also fainted at an event in Uttarakhand in June 2025.
Dhankar had undergone angioplasty and appeared frail, though he was active in Parliament.
However, if health was the reason, why did he not resign before the commencement of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Political reasons
For the most part of the first day of the session Dhankar was there on his chair, negotiating the Rajya Sabha through fiery exchanges between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led Opposition on various issues
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, on Monday cornered the government over claims by US President Donald Trump of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. He also pointed out that terrorists responsible for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 have not been caught or neutralised. Demanding answers, Kharge said “Pahalgam terror attack happened on April 22 and none of the terrorists have been caught or killed”
“We need to know what happened…There was intelligence failure, the (J&K) L-G has said (that), we have not said,” he said.
Amid disruptions from the Opposition while he was speaking, Leader of the House and Union Minister JP Nadda said nothing will go on record except what he was saying.
By rule, the call is taken by the Speaker in Lok Sabha and Chairperson in Rajya Sabha.
Now the buzz is that Home Minister Amit Shah was very upset over Trump and Pahalgam terrorists being placed on record by Kharge on the very first day. “In the evening, meetings were held in the PM and the HM offices in the Parliament and the resignation followed,” sources say.
Apparently, Dhankar also held a meeting with Opposition leaders around 6 PM on Monday.
Bihar ‘putr’ angle
The second theory is regarding the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
According to sources the BJP needs a ‘Bihar putr’ to win the state and among the names being considered is Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, who has held the post since 2020 and is known to have the government’s confidence. According to rules “during the period of such vacancy,” the function is carried out by the deputy chairperson or any other Rajya Sabha member authorised by the President of India.
Whether Harivansh, who has held the post since 2020, will be given the job or the BJP has some fresh face in mind, perhaps Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, remains to be seen as the buzz is that it could also be a “Muslim”.
Judiciary
Dhankar has been taking on the judiciary, saying that judges in the country have no accountability and the law of the land does not apply to them.
An outspoken leader, his tenure in the second highest office of India was marked by regular run-ins with the Opposition and strong comments on the judiciary over the issue of separation of powers.
The resignation announcement came just hours after Dhankhar addressed the Rajya Sabha and raised several serious issues, including the impeachment motion against high court judge Yashwant Varma and an incident involving unclaimed cash found under a seat in the House. ENDS
