India’s Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar recently resigned from his post. In his letter to President Draupadi Murmu, he said that he has taken this decision to give priority to his health and to follow medical advice. He said in his resignation, “To give priority to healthcare and to follow the advice of doctors, I resign from the post of Vice President with immediate effect under Article 67 (A) of the Constitution.”
74 -year -old Dhankar took over as Vice President in August 2022. In less than two years, this sudden step has become a matter of discussion in political circles.
Two days after the resignation, on Wednesday, he was ordered to vacate his government house. Along with this, his Vice President’s office was sealed and his social media team was also dissolved. This entire process was done very fast, forcing political analysts to think whether it is limited to health reasons or there is something else behind it.
The resignation of Dhankhar has come at a time when the monsoon session of Parliament has started. In such a situation, opposition parties have raised questions about his resignation. Many leaders also said that both the time and process of resignation are unusual. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot called it a ‘result of political pressure’.
Dhankhar’s tenure was very active as the Vice President. He kept his views openly on many constitutional issues, especially with the balance between the judiciary and the legislature. While the Vice President, he served as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and conducted a discussion on many important bills.
After the resignation of Dhankhar, the post of Vice President has become vacant. Now according to the Constitution, the process of election of new Vice President will be started. Till then the work of Rajya Sabha will be conducted by the Deputy Chairman.