India's Vice Presidential Election 2025: Schedule, Vacancy, and Political Battle Ahead.

India's Vice Presidential Election 2025: Full Schedule, Vacancy Details, and What to Expect

In a rare political development, India is set for a midterm vice presidential election following the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, 2025. His resignation, just halfway through his term, has triggered an unexpected electoral process to fill the second-highest constitutional post in the country.

The Election Commission of India (EC) officially announced on August 1 that the vice presidential elections will take place on September 9, 2025. The same day will also see the counting of votes.

Key Dates in the Vice Presidential Election 2025

Notification Date: August 7

Last Date to File Nominations: August 21

Scrutiny of Nominations: August 22

Withdrawal of Candidatures: August 25

Election and Counting Date: September 9

Polling Venue: Room No. F-101, Vasudha, First Floor, Parliament House, New Delhi

Why Is This Election Significant?

Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation came as a political surprise since he had over two years left in office and was not contesting for any higher post. This makes him the first vice president in India’s history to resign mid-term without seeking another constitutional position. In the past, V.V. Giri and R. Venkataraman had also resigned mid-term, but they did so while contesting for the presidency.

Electoral Process & College

The Vice President of India is elected by the members of both Houses of Parliament—not by the public. This electoral college includes:

233 elected members of Rajya Sabha (5 seats vacant)

12 nominated members of Rajya Sabha

543 elected members of Lok Sabha (1 seat vacant)

This totals 788 members, of which 782 are currently eligible to vote. Each MP’s vote has equal value—one vote—unlike the presidential elections, which include state assemblies and involve weighted voting.

The election will be conducted via the single transferable vote system based on proportional representation. Voters are required to rank candidates by preference using special pens provided by the EC any other pen will result in an invalid vote.

Nomination Criteria and Neutral Voting

For a candidate to contest, their nomination paper must be backed by at least 20 proposers and 20 seconders, all of whom must be MPs. Interestingly, political parties are not allowed to issue whips, giving MPs the freedom to vote as they choose.

The Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, P.C. Mody, has been appointed as the Returning Officer, assisted by Garima Jain and Vijay Kumar.

BJP vs Congress-Led Opposition

With the BJP-led NDA enjoying a numerical advantage in Parliament, it's widely expected that their nominee will win. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor confirmed this sentiment, saying, “We already know the majority. It’s clear that the next VP will be the nominee of the ruling party.”

However, the Congress-led opposition is planning to field a joint candidate, which could lead to a symbolic, yet competitive election.