At a time when the Opposition was planning to pin down the Narendra Modi government in Parliament on issues of Pahalgam terror attack, losses during Operation Sindoor and US President Donald Trump’s claim to have brokered peace deal for India with Pakistan, resignation of Vice President opened another floodgate of controversies. However, he writes health being the reason for his decision in his letter to the President.

Meanwhile, various theories are doing rounds on his resignation besides "medical advice" and a need to "prioritise health care" that he himself spelt out in his resignation to getting hurt with the impeachment motion brought against him which was not accepted on technical grounds. He is also accused of being too submissive to the present dispensation and even succumbed to its dictate even resigning from the post of VP. Another theory that is doing round is that speaking too much against the judiciary has gone against him as Kiren Rijuju was also removed from the Law Ministry for the same reason in the Modi 2.0 government.

Some others are of the view that his alleged blatant siding with the government and alleged partitioned approach towards the government embarrassed it quite often. But this is not a disqualification in any government. This is true that he was admitted in AIIMS, Delhi for heart related ailment and had fainted in a programme in a University in Uttarakhand. So is age being the factor for his resignation as he is 74 now and some have offered this logic as the reason behind his exit with the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat speaking for leaders to step down after 75. Interestingly both Modi and Bhagwat are attaining the 75 years of age in September this year.

Conspiracy theorists have their own say who are not ready to believe these simple reasons for his resignation. Some of them say that Dhankhad’s utility is over as the BJP had won Rajasthan and Haryana Assembly elections with sizable Jat voters’ presence in these states. 

Now, the BJP is looking forward to win two crucial Assembly elections – Bihar and West Bengal. Bihar is not that difficult as NDA is in the government for long but West Bengal is a tough nut to crack with Mamata Banerjee around. None of the strategy of the BJP worked in West Bengal with a deadly combination of Muslim voters and Bangla sentiment that Mamata played with full dexterity. So, the name of Arif Mohammad Khan is in circulation for being elevated from Bihar Governor to Vice President of India. But Khan might prove to be effective in Bihar but it is unlikely in West Bengal where Muslim population is more than Bihar which hates the BJP like anything and would not let the BJP come to power with 30 per cent population. But in any case, he stands a good chance. Moreover, past track records suggest that the NaMo Government never made any change just ahead of Assembly elections or even LS Polls in the name of regional balances but it certainly does that well in advance. But one thing is for sure that the way resignation of VP surprised, the name of the new vice president will do the same.

In addition to Arif Mohammad Khan, there are some more prospective names like Bihar CM Nitish Kumar but both Chairman and Dy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from the same party and same state besides the way Nitish Kumar is showcasing awkward behaviour these days, it would be difficult for the NDA to take any chance. His controversial remarks and statements are another hurdle in his path of getting elected to the constitutional post where task of running Rajya Sabha is very arduous.

It may rake-up controversy but former Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachood could emerge as an important name for the post. He has not vacated his Lutyens' bungalow so far by offering reasons that he would not have entertained. The NDA government that is entangled in many legal and constitutional wranglings that might be addressed with his appointment as VP. People say that the judiciary has been the area where Narendra Modi faced with some stumbling blocks and Justice Chandrachood’s election as Vice President could be of a great help to the present dispensation. The RSS may also not have any problem on his name for the fact that he was part of the bench that ruled in favour of Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Another CJI Justice Ranjan Gogoi has his term in Rajya Sabha up to March 16, 2026. Besides Chandrachood, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is another name being speculated as a potential candidate. His differences with the Congress leadership and proximity to the Modi government have been making headlines. In addition, names of BJP National President J P Nadda, Delhi L G Vinai Kumar Saxena, Journalist Ram Bahadur Rai and J&K L G Manoj Sinha are some other names. Rai can be useful to counter the Opposition’s “Samvidhan Bachao” (save constitution) narrative by “Samvidhan Hatya” (murder of constitution) narrative against the Congress who else can be the better option than Rai.  The day Manoj Sinha owned that it was his failure on Pahalgam terror attack as J&K LG, he was discounted from any important assignment.

Politics in South India is another area where the BJP leadership is worried to make inroads. It succeeded to some extent but not up to the desirable level. The name of Maharashtra governor C P Radhakrishnan and Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi (Ex IPS) may also be in the reckoning. Names of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajya Sabha Member Sudha Murty are also discussed. The issue of impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma also needs to be taken care of without any embarrassment to the government. All said and done, Dhankhar’s image became such that he was not only attacked but ridiculed and he failed to deal with these perceptions the way it should have been dealt with. A comparison was being made between him and M Venkaiah Naidu.

Dhankhar is the third VP in India's history to step down before completing his term. Before becoming Vice President in 2022, he served as the WB Governor from 2019 to 2022. As per Constitution, the Election Commission will initiate the process to elect a new Vice President as soon as possible which is elected by an electoral college consisting of members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha through a system of proportional representation using a single transferable vote. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), holding a majority in the electoral college, will be considering potential candidates. Amid all talks, his entire tenure would be remembered for his statements and unique response to situations. While selecting the name of the news Vice President of India, the focus will be to deal with the larger narrative and utility for 2029 Lok Sabha elections.