Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation: BJP, I.N.D.I.A. to start hunt for VP candidate

New Delhi: With an election to the post of Vice President imminent following the dramatic resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, the ruling BJP and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties will soon start looking for suitable candidates even as the numbers are stacked against the Opposition bloc. 

A candidate fighting the ruling combine's choice is unlikely to win the electoral battle even if non-aligned  parties like YSR Congress, BRS, BJD, BSP, AIMIM and three independents among others support the anti-NDA candidate. 

All MPs, including those who are nominated, are eligible to vote in the Vice Presidential polls unlike the Presidential polls where only elected MPs and MLAs are allowed to exercise their franchise.

The electoral college for Vice President is 788 but at present there are five vacancies in Rajya Sabha and one in Lok Sabha. 

Of the existing 782 electors, the BJP-led NDA can get 427 votes -- 293 from Lok Sabha and 134 from Rajya Sabha -- as against 323 -- 236 in Lok Sabha and 87 in Rajya Sabha. Non-aligned parties account for around 30 votes. The BJP on its own does not have numbers and the gap between the majority mark and its numbers is wider than last time.

While party Whips are not valid for the Vice Presidential election, as it is a secret ballot, individual MPs can vote against their party choices. Also, parties can break ranks with alliance partners depending on the choice of candidates offered by the rival.

Trinamool Congress had abstained from the 2022 Presidential elections in which Opposition fielded Margaret Alva against Dhankhar, which he polled 528 first preference votes out of 725 votes polled against his rival's 182. Fifteen MPs’ votes were invalid.

The parties' search for candidates will start only after the Election Commission initiates the poll process.

According to the Constitution, the elections to fill the vacancy in the VP office shall be held “as soon as possible. The new Vice President will get a full five-year term from the date he or she enters office.

The BJP is known for looking at candidates who suit domestic politics and it is to be seen whether it would factor in Assembly elections in Bihar this year and West Bengal polls next year. It is also to be seen whether the saffron party chooses a Most Backward Community member to be a candidate.

Soon after Dhankhar's resignation became public, there was speculation among Kerala politicians that BJP may choose disgruntled Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who had repeatedly asserted that he is not leaving his party for saffron camp. 

Tharoor has been at loggerheads with the Congress leadership for sometime and has cooperated with the Modi government's various programmes, including the latest global outreach against Pakistan in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

However, it is to be seen whether the BJP would choose an "outsider" for such a crucial Constitutional post that also has a key role in the functioning of the Rajya Sabha.