Around The Vice Presidential Election
The Election Commission has announced September 9 as the date for the Vice Presidential election. Now, all eyes are on the election for that important post. In the backdrop of Jagdeep Dhankhar's recent sudden resignation from the post of Vice President, we need to look at this development in the broader political context. Many people discussed a lot of things immediately after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned. With the post of Vice President falling vacant for almost three weeks, we now have an opportunity to revisit some of the issues.
India will have its 15th Vice President next month. So far, 14 people have held the post. Two of them have served two terms as Vice President (Radhakrishnan and Hamid Ansari). Six of the Vice Presidents have also gone on to become President. One (Bhairon Singh Shekhawat) contested for the post and lost. It is interesting and noteworthy that the previous five Vice Presidents (after Krishnakanth) did not become President.
We must also recall that three Vice Presidents were elected unopposed. Radhakrishnan was elected unopposed for two terms (1952, 1957) and Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987) once. If we look at the nature of the election of the Vice President (in both the Houses of Parliament), it is certain that the candidate of the party in power at the Centre is the one who is elected. When the Chandrashekhar-led government (Janata Party-S) was in power, Hidayat Ullah became the Vice President with external support from the Congress. Similarly, when Krishnakanth became the Vice President, I.K. Gujral was in power as the Prime Minister of the second term United Front government with external support from the Congress.
Speculations have already started as to who the NDA will field as its candidate for the current Vice Presidential election (such speculations had started since the day Dhankhar resigned). The recent developments on the Vice Presidential issue and the experience of the BJP since coming to power shed light on two different things. One, it holds a mirror up to the pressures of politics; the other, it holds a lens up to the 'politics of coercion'.
First, let us look at the pressures of politics. If the ruling party has learned anything from the Dhankhar case, it is to trust its own tried and tested past and trusted loyalists. The root of the problem lies in the accusation that Dhankhar had to forcefully resign from the opposition parties’ politics. Second, let us look at the ‘politics of coercion’; especially, the politics that the BJP has been playing since 2014. It is crystal clear that there has been a major element of surprise in all the major political nominations made by the ruling party. Be it the candidate for the previous presidential election (Ram Nath Kovind), the resigned Vice President Dhankhar, the Chief Ministers, Governors and Rajya Sabha candidates in BJP-ruled states... Most of these choices have been surprises. The BJP leadership is likely to follow the same 'think outside the box' selection process for the Vice Presidential election as well. The Vice Presidential post may have an unexpected name. However, given the recent developments, there is no doubt that the BJP leadership will follow the criteria that its chosen candidate should be trustworthy and loyal.
Dhankhar's sudden resignation was a subject of much debate. Political analysts at the time went on to list several factors. One of them is a rare occurrence and is relevant to the current development. That factor is that Dhankhar is not the only Vice President who has faced controversy. Radhakrishnan too had differences with the government when he was Vice President. That difference was resolved through talks.
B.D. Jatti was the Vice President when Morarji Desai was the caretaker Prime Minister. There was a serious difference of opinion between the two. For the first time, the Congress Party was not in power at the Centre. The Janata Party was in power there. Jatti had assumed office as the caretaker President after the death of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. There was a face-to-face argument between the Prime Minister and the President on 30 April 1977. The cabinet, which had come to power just a month earlier, had recommended that the legislatures be dissolved in eight states and President's rule be imposed. Although the Congress had lost the Lok Sabha elections, those were the states where the party was in charge of local administration. Jatti had delayed signing the recommendation, saying that he did not fully agree with the recommendations. The then Prime Minister Morarji Desai had given the caretaker President a deadline to sign the proclamation dissolving the eight state assemblies. If it was not signed within the stipulated time, Morarji Desai had threatened to resign from all eight members of his cabinet and go for the Lok Sabha elections again. After much hesitation, Jatti was forced to sign.
When Hamid Ansari was Vice President for the second term (2012–17), all was not well between him and the government. Those who are familiar with the inner workings of the leaders in the Rajya Sabha during that period know the nature of the conflict. The media also reported on the conflict that day. When K.R. Narayanan, Krishnakanth and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat served as Vice Presidents, the parties that elected them were not in power. However, we also have examples where the administration ran smoothly.
Another word about Dhankhar's resignation. The long-standing problems between the central government and the Vice President were exposed on the day Dhankhar resigned. By repeatedly making controversial statements, the Vice President had attracted the attention of the people and the media. The way he acted in granting or denying permission to introduce resolutions being heard in the Rajya Sabha was another reason for the deepening differences with the government. Although he tried to resolve the problem through the opposition parties, by then Dhankhar had lost the party's credibility. There is no doubt that the ruling party will take this development into account while choosing a candidate for the post of the new Vice President.