“I will retire at the right time, August 2027, subject to divine intervention,” he said on July 10. The video of his address at the Jawaharlal Nehru University is doing rounds on social media.
VIDEO | Here’s what Jagdeep Dhankhar had said on July 10 about retiring from Vice President post:
“I will retire at the right time. August 2027, subject to divine intervention.”(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/QmylqKZ9e9
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 22, 2025
Dhankhar’s five-year term as the 14th Vice President was to end on August 10, 2027.
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But he took the nation by surprise by resigning two years before his tenure ended. Reports said the government was caught unaware by Dhankhar admitting the Opposition MPs’ impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, who was embroiled in the cash controversy. The Centre was planning to introduce the motion in the ongoing session of Parliament, and the move did not go down well with the government.
NDTV reported that the issue snowballed over a phone call and left Dhankar with no option but to resign. Multiple reports said Dhankhar got wind of the government planning to bring a no-confidence motion against him and he decided to step down.
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There were murmurs in the political circles about Dhankhar’s closeness to several opposition leaders of the Congress. And Dhankhar’s campaign for the return of an NJAC-like body to curb corruption in the judiciary did not have the government on the same page.
At 9:25 pm yesterday, the official X handle of the Vice President shared a resignation letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu.
“To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as the Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution. I extend my deepest gratitude to Your Excellency, the Honourable President of India for her unwavering support and the soothing, wonderful working relationship we maintained during my tenure,” Dhankhar wrote in the letter.
