India begins process to elect new Vice President after Dhankhar’s resignation

Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Modi appointed as Returning Officer for VP election. Polls to be conducted by MPs as electoral college following constitutional mandate for immediate vacancy filling.

New Delhi: The preparations for the election of the Vice President of India have started. The Election Commission on Friday appointed the Returning Officer and two Assistant Returning Officers, who will conduct the process of this election.

This time, Rajya Sabha Secretary General PC Modi has been appointed as the Chief Election Officer, i.e., Returning Officer. Garima Jain (Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat) and Vijay Kumar (Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat) have been appointed as Assistant Returning Officers to conduct the election along with him. These officers will oversee the entire process of the election of the vice president and ensure that the election is conducted in a transparent manner.

This appointment was needed because the current Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, suddenly resigned from his post on the evening of 21 July, citing health reasons. Although his tenure was till 10 August 2027, after the resignation, the post has become vacant. Now, according to Article 68(2) of the Constitution, whenever the post of vice president becomes vacant, it is necessary to hold elections to fill that post "immediately after."

The Election Commission has said that this decision has been taken after consulting the Ministry of Law and Justice and taking the consent of the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Commission said that it has been a tradition that the Secretary Generals of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are appointed as Returning Officers in turn. Since the last time the Lok Sabha Secretary General had this responsibility, this time the Rajya Sabha Secretary General has been entrusted with this responsibility.

Now the Election Commission has started the process of formation of an electoral college consisting of the elected and nominated MPs of both the Houses of Parliament—Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Only these MPs will have the right to vote in the election for the post of vice president.

It is clear from this entire process that the constitutional arrangement for the post of vice president is very well-organized and time-bound so that no vacancy of leadership remains for a long time at the highest posts in the country.

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