NDA to Announce Vice Presidential Pick on Aug 12; PM Modi, Nadda to Finalise Candidate

The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is expected to announce its candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election on August 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda set to make the final decision. The development was shared by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju following a crucial meeting of the alliance’s floor leaders on Thursday.

The high-stakes meeting, attended by top leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and key allies like Shrikant Shinde, Chirag Paswan, and Anupriya Patel, was convened to strategize for the election, which was necessitated by the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on health grounds. Dhankhar stepped down on the first day of the Monsoon Session, creating an unexpected vacancy for the post of Rajya Sabha chairman.

Beyond finalizing the nominee, the NDA is focusing heavily on ensuring a disciplined and coordinated voting strategy. Since the Vice Presidential election is conducted via a secret ballot where party whips are not applicable, the alliance is planning detailed training sessions for its MPs to prevent any invalid votes.

This cautious approach follows some setbacks in recent House votes and aims to present a united front. The NDA’s position was further strengthened on Wednesday when Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction pledged its unconditional support to the coalition’s candidate.

Jagdeep Dhankhar’s surprise resignation, citing the need to prioritize his health based on medical advice, has, however, sparked speculation within opposition circles. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh suggested there might be “far more” to the decision “than meets the eye,” revealing that he had spoken to the 74-year-old Vice President just two hours before the news broke and that Dhankhar had appeared to have no immediate concerns.