Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns as Vice-President of India citing health reasons

New Delhi: Hours after presiding over the Rajya Sabha proceedings on the first day of Monsoon Session, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday night dramatically announced his resignation as Vice President of India, saying he wants to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice.

Becoming the country's first Vice President to resign on health grounds, Dhankhar was sworn in to the second-highest Constitutional post on August 10, 2022, and had a tenure till August 11, 2027. He is leaving the post two years and 20 days before his tenure ends and prompting a fresh election in which the new incumbent would get a five year term.

Becoming the country's first Vice President to resign on health grounds, Dhankhar was sworn in to the second-highest Constitutional post on 11 August, 2022 and had a tenure till 10 August, 2022. He is leaving the post two years and 20 days before his tenure ends and prompting a fresh election in which the new incumbent would get a five year term.

The Vice President being the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha, his resignation also renders a vacancy in Rajya Sabha. Till a new Vice President is elected, the Deputy Chairman will fill in for the Chairman.

“To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the constitution. I extend my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency the President of India for her unwavering support and the soothing wonderful working relationship we maintained during my tenure,” he wrote in the letter.

In the resignation letter sent to President Droupadi Murmu posted on the official ‘X’ handle of the Vice President of India at 9:25 PM, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “cooperation and support have been invaluable” and that he learned much during his time in office.

“The warmth, trust, and affection I have received from all the Members of Parliament would ever be cherished and embedded in my memory,” he said, adding he is “deeply thankful for the invaluable experiences and insights” he has gained as Vice President “in our great democracy”.

Dhankhar, a lawyer by profession who also practiced in the Supreme Court, said it has been a “privilege and satisfaction to witness and partake” in India's remarkable economic progress and unprecedented exponential development during this significant period.

“Serving in this transformative era of our nation's history has been a true honor. As I leave this esteemed office, I am filled with pride in Bharat's global rise and phenomenal achievements and hold unwavering confidence in her brilliant future,” he added.

His resignation also came on a day when an Opposition-sponsored notice for a motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma was submitted to him and he referred it to the House.

A controversial figure, Dhankhar as Rajya Sabha Chairman had run-ins with the Opposition, which moved an impeachment motion against him, which was not accepted by the Deputy Chairman. He had the ignominy of being the first Vice President against whom an impeachment notice was served.

His tenure as West Bengal Governor also saw frequent confrontation with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, before he was chosen as NDA Vice Presidential candidate.

Earlier, four Vice Presidents -- VV Giri, R Venkataraman, Shankar Dayal Sharma and KR Narayanan -- had resigned from the post upon their election as President while Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had quit after losing Presidential polls in 2007.

Dhankhar, who started his political career in Janata Dal, was also a member of the Congress and later joined the BJP in 2003. He represented the Jhunjhunu Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan as a member of the Janata Dal from 1989 to 1991 and was Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs.

While he lost Lok Sabha polls from Ajmer on a Congress ticket, he was later elected as an MLA from Kishangarh in 1993. He came third in Jhunjhunu Lok Sabha elections in 1998.