Jagdeep Dhankhar suddenly gave his resignation as Vice President on the first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session (21st July 21 2025)! The move stunned New Delhi and the BJP. He invoked Article 67(a), making the move effective immediately.
Officially, he cited health. Unofficially, Delhi’s political corridors are abuzz with talk of parliamentary flashpoints, judicial impeachment gambits, and a looming stand‑off that the government probably wants to defuse before it spirals out of control. Here’s what is known, what is being whispered, and why the timing matters.
VP Jagdeep Dhankar Resignation – What Actually Happened
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, aged 74, resigned with immediate effect under Article 67(a) of the Constitution. This article allows a VP to quit at any time by submitting a written resignation to the President. President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation, creating an instant vacancy in India’s second‑highest constitutional office and the Rajya Sabha chair.
Dhankhar’s letter framed the decision as a medical necessity: he said he needed to “prioritise health care” and follow medical advice.
This explanation followed a March 2025 cardiac procedure at AIIMS and a June 25 fainting spell at Kumaon University in Nainital. Both events were publicly reported as health scares that already raised questions about his ability to handle the workload.
Yet those who watched him preside over the opening day of the Monsoon Session said he appeared energetic – raising early doubts about whether health alone drove the decision.
Jagdeep Dhankhar becomes the third Vice President in Indian history to resign mid‑term. In 1969, V.V. Giri quit mid-term to contest the Presidency and hold the top post. Later, Ramaswamy Venkataraman also resigned from the post to contest presidential elections. However, Jagdeep Dhankhar is not in a presidential contest, making his exit even more unusual.
The Session Flashpoints: Operation Sindoor, Kharge’s Floor Time, & A Judge in the Dock
The resignation shock came after a politically charged morning. The Opposition pressed for an immediate debate on the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s cross‑border response under “Operation Sindoor.” In the Lok Sabha, the Chair deferred the matter to the Business Advisory Committee. In the Rajya Sabha, however, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was allowed to speak on the procedure of the questioning. But, Kharge chose the moment to talk at length while disregarding the topic assigned. His words touched security lapses and even foreign claims surrounding the India-Pakistan crisis. Amid all of this, Jagdeep Dhankar was silent, allowing the speech far longer than treasury benches expected for a procedural intervention.
Government MPs privately read Dhankhar’s latitude as a break from the tighter time‑management seen in heated sessions.
Then came the bigger jolt. Jagdeep Dhankhar informed the House he had received a valid notice. It was signed by more than the required 50 Rajya Sabha MPs for initiating removal proceedings against Allahabad High Court Judge Yashwant Varma. In the wake of an explosive “burnt cash” controversy linked to currency recovered after a fire at the judge’s official residence, such revelations were shocking to the ruling dispensation. He directed the Secretary‑General to ascertain whether a parallel notice had reached the Lok Sabha. The move indicated a synchronized track in both Houses toward a potential judicial impeachment inquiry.
Opposition MPs also reminded the Chair that an earlier (13 Dec 13 2024) notice seeking action against Justice Shekhar Yadav remained pending. Floor Managers state this reminder was an attempt to inject “balance” in accountability from the judiciary. However, that reminder signalled the Opposition’s intent to widen the frame beyond a single judge case. Procedurally, once a presiding officer admits such a motion, a three‑member inquiry committee (a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and a distinguished jurist) is constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act.
The mere admission can escalate political stakes – Usually, governments prefer sequencing and quiet consultation before such steps.
The Corridor Chatter: Jagdeep Dhankar – Health Cover, Rajasthan Trip, and a Crisis Averted?
So analysts wonder why he resigned. That too, right after green‑lighting a judicial removal process and giving the Opposition unexpected oxygen. Political strategists across parties believe timing is the tell. According to parliamentary reporting, Jagdeep Dhankhar’s office announced a trip to Jaipur while Parliament was in session. Though trips are usual, this one wasn’t! The unusual scheduling of this trip was planned bang in the middle of the Monsoon Session when the RS Chair is needed. The choice triggered curiosity in government circles hours before the resignation landed.
Some analysts suggest that the Rajasthan Trip and the resignation were probably designed to make mischief against the BJP while PM Modi is away on trips that aim to ensure Bharat’s foreign trade relations.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh publicly suggested “far more than meets the eye,” urging PM Modi to persuade Dhankhar to reconsider. His post fanned speculation that the Business Advisory Committee meeting Dhankhar convened could have advanced contentious matters. He implied that the government was not ready to embrace issues like judges’ inquiry – amid an already combustible session.
Seasoned Parliament watchers note that government managers who had signalled the Lok Sabha might take the lead on the Varma motion.
VP Jagdeep Dhankhar’s openness to a Rajya Sabha track the same day looked like a procedural assertiveness that narrowed executive room for choreography. However, this promises to be a hyper‑sensitive Monsoon Session, with the Operation Sindoor debate pending and an energized Opposition. Thus, the ruling side may have calculated that a widening parliamentary‑judicial confrontation was the last thing it needed. None of this is confirmed on record, but the alignment of events is fuelling the capital’s grapevine.
To be clear: the health explanation is real—his March stenting and June collapse are documented.
Multiple senior figures across the aisle told reporters that his resignation “felt political in its timing, medical in its wording.”
What Happens Next and What This Episode Tells Us About Institutions?
With the office vacant, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh will preside over House proceedings. However, he did not become Acting Vice President. The constitutional line of succession activates the Chief Justice only if both President and VP posts are simultaneously vacant. A new Vice President will be elected by an electoral college of both Houses of Parliament. Thankfully, the NDA holds a working majority. Therefore, the government faces no arithmetic threat in filling the post.
The judge removal notices now sit at a delicate intersection of politics and judicial accountability.
How swiftly the presiding officers act and whether both motions (Varma and the older Yadav notice) move forward will shape perceptions of even‑handedness. The process is deliberately heavy: signatures thresholds, inquiry panel, and super‑majority votes in each House. The Dhankhar episode may end up strengthening procedural scrutiny around these high‑voltage tools.
Finally, VP Jagdeep Dhankhar’s tenure marked by his outspoken critiques of judicial overreach shall leave a strong institutional imprint. That he exited dramatically only ensures the debates he amplified will echo through the corridors of power. While the selection of his successor becomes first priority for BJP and its allies, the whispers in New Delhi are louder than the shouts of Opposition in the Parliament!
