Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar’s sudden resignation, attributed to health reasons, has left the Ruling and Opposition parties in disbelief and fuelled a flurry of speculation in political circles. Despite interacting with several senior leaders just hours before his announcement, he did not indicate any health concerns or plans to step down. He still had two years left for his tenure to complete.
As per news floating around in the political circles, VP Jagdeep Dhankar may have grown increasingly unhappy with the functioning of the executive branch. Known for his assertive style as Chairman of Rajya Sabha, he had on several occasions clashed with opposition leaders and, reportedly, even expressed unease with certain legislative practices adopted by the government.
During the past few months, he is believed to have expressed dissatisfaction with the limited autonomy of VP’s role when it came to presiding over parliamentary proceedings. Political observers believe that his insistence on decorum and procedural fairness might have put him at odds with senior members of the ruling party. He was part of BJP before he became VP.
He being a former Supreme Court (SC) lawyer and Ex Governor of West Bengal, had often voiced strong opinions on the role of judiciary. His remarks about judicial overreach made headlines in the past, but suddenly in the recent past his tone had reportedly shifted towards defending judiciary, particularly in the context of controversial appointments and delay in judicial processes. This change might have gone against the official line of the ruling party, BJP.
He is a third VP of India who did not complete his full term. First was VV Giri, who resigned to contest the Presidential elections as candidate of Indira Gandhi led front against the official candidate of the Congress party N. Sanjeev Reddy, and the second to his resign was Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, he also resigned in the hope of his party will nominate him as candidate for Presidential elections.
Jagdeep Dhankar, an alumni of Chittorgarh’s Sainik School and later Rajasthan University, he became a lawyer in the Rajasthan High Court and subsequently the Supreme Court, before turning to politics. Part of the Congress when PV Narsimha Rao was PM, he shifted to the BJP with the rise of Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan and even had a brief stint as a minister in government led by Chandrashekhar. Over the years, he was known for championing issues related to the Other Backward Classes, including the grant of OBC status to Jat community in Rajasthan. His surprise appointment as the Governor of West Bengal in 2019 brought him back into political limelight, and he remained a vigilant sentry, often calling the Mamta Banerjee to task over multiple issues including law and order, federalism and university appointments.
In the Vice-Presidential election held on in August 2022 Jagdeep Dhankar defeated the opposition candidate Margaret Alva by securing 528 of 710 valid votes. The advocate-turned politician was equally stern with the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha over multiple issues, leading to an attempt to remove him from office. While the attempt came to nothing, he became the first VP against whom such move was made.
Speculations have started about his next political step. Some political experts say that the resignation drama could be strategic step, possible to emerge as consensus leader or mediator between warring political blocs, or even to spearhead a new political front.
Although he has cited health issue for his resignation, but there has been no public evidence of any serious illness. He was seen attending multiple events recently and appeared physically fit.
With his exit, the post of Vice-President becomes a high-stakes vacancy. The government will now need to nominate a new candidate, and the opposition may seek to rally around a symbolic choice as well. Meanwhile Dhankar’s next move will be closely watched, as it may hold clues to the emerging shifts within political scene.
Waiting for your feedback on this blog.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
22nd July 2025