Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has resigned from his post, saying that he is stepping down because of health problems. His resignation has left the second-most powerful constitutional post in the country vacant. As per the Indian Constitution, the election for the next vice president must be held "as soon as possible." Although the election date has not yet been officially announced, preparations have already begun.

The Election Commission has started making arrangements. In a press note, the poll body said, "Major pre-announcement activities which have already been started include (i) preparation of the Electoral College, which consists of elected as well as nominated members of Rajya Sabha as well as Lok Sabha; (ii) finalisation of the returning officer/assistant returning officer(s); and (iii) preparation and dissemination of background material on all the previous vice-presidential elections."

Only four of the last 16 vice presidential elections were uncontested. This means the Opposition might also come up with a name soon. So far, the Opposition has not proposed any candidate.

Who could replace Dhankhar?

Several names are being discussed for the post of the new vice president. Two names seem to be in focus at the moment—VK Saxena and Manoj Sinha.

VK Saxena, 67
He is currently the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Though he has only been in this post for about three years, there has been talk for a long time that he could be moved to a “bigger assignment.” VK Saxena, who earlier worked in the corporate world, became a strong figure in Delhi politics. He was seen as blocking many moves of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. His actions, such as stopping appointments and opposing the Delhi Jal Board's decisions, were seen as efforts that harmed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s image.

Manoj Sinha, 66
He is the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and is completing his five-year term on August 6. Many believe this is a good time for him to take up a higher role like that of vice president. He is a former junior minister of railways and an old BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh. Supporters say he brought stability to Jammu and Kashmir after Article 370 was removed. However, his time in J&K is ending with criticism due to a terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and a pony operator.

Why did Dhankhar resign?

Though Dhankhar said he resigned for health reasons, some government sources have said there were other issues too. According to them, “Mr. Dhankhar crossed the red line several times, but his decision to accept an opposition-backed motion to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma was the trigger point.” The sources also say that the government felt he was giving too much voice to the Opposition, especially during discussions on farmers’ issues.

His public question to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also upset the government. Some reports say there was even a plan to bring a no-confidence motion against him if he didn’t resign. There were also rumours that the BJP might choose Nitish Kumar from their ally JDU as the next vice president. However, BJP sources have rejected this claim.

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