Shock exit: Dhankhar quits as VP on first day of Parl session

NEW DELHI: It was business as usual till around 4pm for Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. He presided over the opening day of the monsoon session of Rajya Sabha and attended a meeting of the business advisory committee of the House. At 3.53pm, a govt statement said the VP would be visiting Jaipur on Wednesday.

Such a trip, while Parliament is in session, would have raised eyebrows. A few hours later, Dhankhar dropped a bombshell, abruptly announcing his resignation with immediate effect two years before his tumultous term was to end. "To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice-President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution," he wrote in his letter to President Droupadi Murmu.


The move immediately set off speculation about the real trigger, with many wondering as to the nature of the medical condition that necessitated his quitting the constitutional position, second only to the President in protocol.

Few were convinced about the health explanation, particularly given that those who visited him in recent months detected signs that he was less than happy, even as he made it a point to swear by the present political leadership.

He underwent a cardiac procedure at AIIMS in March after he complained of uneasiness. On June 25, he had fainted while delivering a speech at Nainital. But he seemed to be in fine fettle on Monday, making his trademark interventions and betraying no sign of the graveness he invoked to explain his exit.

Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in Aug 2022 and his tenure was till 2027.