Vice President Poll: NDA May Announce V-P Candidate On August 12; PM Modi, JP Nadda To Decide

NDA may announce its Vice Presidential candidate on August 12, authorising PM Modi and JP Nadda to decide. The election is set for September 9, following Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation citing health reasons.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is likely to announce its candidate for the Vice President election on August 12. In a key meeting held on Thursday, the NDA floor leaders authorised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda to pick the alliance’s nominee. Nadda is also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. The meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by top NDA leaders, including Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. "It was unanimously decided that PM Modi and JP Nadda will finalise the NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate. The decision will be accepted by all NDA allies," Rijiju told reporters after the meeting.

Vice President Election schedule and process

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already announced the schedule for the Vice President election. Nominations can be filed until August 21. The election will be held on September 9, with counting taking place on the same day.

The Vice President is elected by members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha through a secret ballot using the single transferable vote system. Since the voting is confidential, no party whip is issued. Due to recent setbacks in House votes, the NDA is preparing training sessions for its MPs to avoid any mistakes or invalid votes on polling day.

Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation

The Vice President's post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the position on July 21, citing health reasons. "To prioritise healthcare and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately," Dhankhar said in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu. His resignation came just hours after he presided over the opening day of the Parliament's Monsoon Session. The sudden move triggered speculation, especially from the Opposition. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared that he had spoken to Dhankhar just two hours before the resignation was made public and that the Vice President had shown no signs of concern.

Opposition to discuss candidate, NDA gains more support

The Opposition is expected to begin internal talks soon to decide their own candidate for the Vice Presidential election. Meanwhile, the NDA has gained more strength with Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announcing unconditional support for the alliance. The NDA's leadership is focusing not just on selecting a candidate, but also ensuring that all MPs are fully aware of the voting process. With voting through secret ballot and no scope for party whips, discipline and clarity will be key on polling day.

(With ANI inputs)