The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced the schedule for the elections of the 17th Vice President of India, and the polling will be held on September 9. This has further sparked the conversation about who will sit in the second-highest constitutional position of the nation now and fill the shoes of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who had resigned from the post citing health reasons.
While the election of the Vice President marks an important step in the constitutional process, the Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor when asked about who will be the next VP, said that it is “fairly clear” that the post will be filled by the nominee of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
While speaking to reporters, Tharoor said, “We already know who has the majority. I think it’s fairly clear that whoever is going to become vice president will be the nominee of the ruling party. I hope they consult the Opposition too, but who knows?”
While Tharoor has been reportedly at odds with his party for various reasons, the rift became apparent when Congress did not nominate his name for the multi-party delegations that were given the responsibility to meet with key partner nations and express India’s ‘zero-tolerance’ against terrorism approach after Indian Armed Forces’ Operation Sindoor that was launched to avenge the gruesome Pahalgam terror attack.
Vice President Election
The new Vice President will serve a full five-year term from the date the office is assumed. According to the schedule shared by the poll panel, the notification for the election will be issued on August 7, last date for making nominations is August 21, date for the scrutiny of nominations on August 22, last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is August 25, the date of poll (if needed) on September 9 (between 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.) and the date of counting (if needed) on the same day of polling.
IANS reported that the Vice President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The 2025 electoral college is composed of 788 members, including 233 elected (presently five seats are vacant in the Upper House) and 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha, and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (one seat vacant in the Lower House). Currently, there are 782 members in the electoral college due to vacant seats.
The election is conducted via a secret ballot using a system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote. The ECI has appointed the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha as the Returning Officer for the election.
