| Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns, citing medical reasons | | |  NEW DELHI, July 21: In a sudden move, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday evening resigned from his post citing medical reasons.
He has sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu and said he was stepping down with immediate effect.
"To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constituton," Dhankhar said in his letter to the President.
Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022 and his tenure was till 2027. He is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and his resignation came on the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
He had recently underwent angioplasty at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.
In his eventful tenure as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar has had several run-ins with the Opposition, which had also moved a motion to impeach him. The motion to remove him, the first time ever in independent India to remove a sitting Vice President, was later rejected by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh.
Dhankhar is the second Vice President to resign while in office, after V V Giri resigned from his post on July 20, 1969 to contest the presidential elections as an independent candidate. |
|
