Following the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in July, the position has been declared vacant. The INDIA alliance candidate is expected to be announced by Tuesday afternoon, according to sources.
Published Aug 18, 2025 | 9:51 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 18, 2025 | 9:51 PM
INDIA bloc
Synopsis: Leaders of the Congress-led INDIA alliance met on Monday to formulate a strategy for the upcoming vice-presidential election and decided to field a non-political figure as their nominee for the 9 September poll, in a move aimed at countering the NDA, according to sources. The candidate is expected to be announced by Tuesday afternoon.
The Congress-led INDIA alliance has decided to nominate a non-political figure as its candidate for the vice presidential election, scheduled for 9 September, in a move aimed at countering the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) strategy, sources have South First.
Among the names being reportedly considered are scientists, academics, retired judges and others, including scientist Mayilsami Annadurai.
Following the sudden resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar in July, the position has been declared vacant. The INDIA alliance candidate is expected to be announced by Tuesday afternoon, according to sources.
The NDA, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Sunday named veteran party leader from Tamil Nadu and incumbent Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as its candidate.
Political observers say Radhakrishnan’s nomination is a calculated move to put pressure on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and its allies ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year.
To plan their response, leaders of the INDIA alliance met at the residence of All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi on Monday, 18 August.
The meeting, which began at 5.45 pm and lasted for over an hour, was attended by KC Venugopal (Congress), Mahua Manjhi (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), MA Baby (CPI-M), Derek O’Brien (Trinamool Congress), Prem Chandra Gupta (RJD), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), and Kanimozhi (DMK).
While no candidate was finalised at the meeting, sources said Kharge will hold further consultations with alliance leaders before making the final announcement.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
