Vice‑President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on 21 July has sent ripples through Parliament, prompting widespread speculation. While health concerns were cited, political observers and senior Opposition leaders suggest that deeper manoeuvres may lie behind the decision.
One prominent theory posits that Dhankhar may have stepped aside to facilitate a BJP alliance with Nitish Kumar ahead of the crucial Bihar Assembly elections. With speculation amplified by BJP MLA Haribhushan Thakur, the optics of a Bihar figure presiding over the Rajya Sabha could favour NDA’s electoral strategy. After Dhankhar’s departure, Deputy Chair Harivansh, himself from JD(U), assumed the chair, further fuelling this narrative.
Another line of conjecture involves a perceived slight on the first day of the Monsoon Session. Dhankhar had swiftly tabled a notice for the removal of Justice Varma and scheduled a Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting at 4.30 pm. However, both Leader of the House, J.P. Nadda, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were conspicuous by their absence. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh noted, "Something very serious happened between 1 pm and 4.30 pm… he might have felt insulted." Nadda later explained that prior commitments prevented attendance, dismissing suggestions of indifference.
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A third explanation centres on Dhankhar’s assertive criticism of judicial overreach, which may have triggered unease within the government. He had described Article 142, used by the Supreme Court to set deadlines for Presidential assent on Bills, as a “nuclear missile against democratic forces, available to the judiciary 24×7”. He also questioned the propriety of the Chief Justice’s involvement in executive matters, asking whether “the Chief Justice of the country shouldn’t be involved in any executive appointment in a democracy like India”. These remarks, seen by many as unusually blunt for a constitutional office-bearer, reportedly irked sections of the government that prefer a more restrained institutional discourse.
Despite these theories, health remains a plausible cause. Dhankhar, 74, had undergone angioplasty in March and fainted at an event in June. The suddenness of his resignation, without prior indication and following a statement just 12 days earlier that he would serve till 2027, has compounded the mystery.
As Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat observed, “In politics, not everything is straight.” With no official clarification forthcoming, the speculation is likely to persist. Analysts suggest the resignation could signal internal adjustments within the BJP or a recalibration of the Vice‑Presidential role. The true motive, whether political, personal or principled, may remain obscured.
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