Vice- President of India
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THE VICE-PRESIDENTS OF INDIA
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) ........................... 1952-1962
Dr Zakir Hussain (1897-1969) ................................................ 1962-1967
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (1894-1980) ..................................... 1967-1969
Gopal Swarup Pathak (1896-1982) ....................................... 1969-1974
B.D. Jatti (1912-2002) ............................................................... 1974-1979
Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah (1905-1992) ................... 1979-1984
R. Venkataraman (1910-2009) ................................................ 1984-1987
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma (1918-1999) ................................ 1987-1992
K.R. Narayanan (1920-2005) .................................................. 1992-1997
Krishan Kant (1927-2002) ....................................................... 1997-2002
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (1923-2010) ................................. 2002-2007
Mohammed Hamid Ansari (b-1937) .................................... 2007-2017
M. Venkaiah Naidu .................................................................2017-2022
Jagdeep Dhankhar................................................................August 6, 2022- July 21, 2025
The office of the Vice President of India
The Vice President is the 'ex-officio' Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. He or she is elected for a period of five years. There is no fixed retirement age for the Vice President and he or she can technically be re-elected as the Vice President for any number of times.
The election for the Vice President is conducted through a secret ballot. Members of the Electoral College, consisting of Members of the both Houses of Parliament including the nominated members of Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha vote in these elections. Members of Parliament are supposed to use special pens for marking their choice. Votes marked with any other pen are liable to be rejected. The ballot paper will contain the names of the contesting candidates, but does not contain any election symbol.
The election of the Vice President is slightly different from the election of the President as the members of state legislatures are not part of the electoral college for the vice-presidential election, which accounts for the reduced time in calculating votes. This allows the election result to be announced the same day. Therefore, from the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha combined, there are 790 voters in the electoral college this year.
A person is eligible for election as Vice-President if they: a) are a citizen of India; b) have completed the age of 35 years; c) are qualified for election as a member of the Council of States (Article 66). A person will not be eligible for election as Vice-President if they hold any office of profit under the Central or state government or under any local authority subject to the control of any of these governments. Once elected, the Vice President still isn't allowed to hold such an office.
A candidate needs 20 electors as proposers and at least another 20 electors as seconders for their nomination. The candidate also must make a security deposit of Rs 15,000.
In case of the death or impeachment or resignation of the President, the vice-president becomes the acting President as the office of the head of the nation cannot be kept vacant, and stays on the post for a maximum period of six months to perform all the functions of the President.
The Vice President can be terminated before the completion of fixed five-year term, either by resignation or by removal by the President. There is no formal process of impeachment for the removal of the Vice President, and removal proceedings can be initiated when members of the Rajya Sabha vote against the Vice President in an effective majority and members of Lok Sabha agree to this decision in a simple majority. A total of 14 days advance notice must be given prior to the initiation of removal proceedings of the Vice President. In such cases, when a temporary vacancy in the office of the Vice President is created, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha takes over the role of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The Vice President receives the salary of the Chairman of the Council of States, which presently amounts to Rs 1,25,000 per month. Unlike the President, the Vice President is not allotted any special residential privileges while in office. While the President of India stays in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Vice President is not granted any such benefits during their tenure. [He gets to live in a Ministerial bungalow, though.]
Electing a Vice President
The procedure
Bharti Jain, July 23, 2025: The Times of India
New Delhi : Election to the vice-president’s office must be held “as soon as possible” in the event of a vacancy caused by the death, resignation or removal of the incumbent, according to Article 63(2) of the Constitution. In the normal course, however, such an election must be held before expiration of term of the incumbent.
A person who is elected to fill such vice-presidential vacancy caused by death, resignation or removal shall have a full term of five years.
As per Article 66 of the Constitution, the vice-president is to be elected by an electoral college comprising members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The election follows the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. In this system, the elector has to mark preferences against the names of the candidates. Preference can be marked in figures only and not in words. The elector can mark as many preferences as the number of candidates. While the marking of first preference is compulsory for the ballot paper to be valid, other preferences are optional.
All MPs must vote by secret ballot.
Election Commission conducts the election to the office of vice-president in accordance with Article 324 of the Constitution, read with Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974.
The current electoral college for election of the vice-president comprises 542 Lok Sabha members and 240 Rajya Sabha members. The value of vote of each MP is the same, that is, one.
The election process will get underway with announcement of poll schedule by EC, followed by issue of the notification, after which candidates — who must be citizens of India, over 35 years of age and qualified for election to Rajya Sabha — can file their nominations. The returning officer for the election may be secretary general of Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha, and is appointed by EC in consultation with the central govt.
Each nomination must be subscribed by at least 20 electors as proposers and 20 electors as seconders. A security deposit of Rs 15,000 is required to be made along with the nomination paper. Polling for a vice-presidential election is taken on Parliament premises only.
For marking the vote, the poll panel will supply particular pens to electors in the polling station. Voting by using any other pen shall lead to invalidation of the vote at the time of counting. Political parties cannot issue any whip to their MPs in the matter of voting in the vice-presidential election.
During counting, the number of first preference votes secured by each candidate is ascertained and added up. The total is divided by two and one is added to the quotient disregarding any remainder. The resulting number is the quota sufficient for a candidate to secure his return at the election. If at the end of the first or any subsequent count, the total number of votes credited to any candidate is equal to, or greater than the quota, that candidate is declared elected.
Elections contested and uncontested, 1952-2022
Bharti Jain, August 3, 2025: The Times of India
New Delhi : Four of the total 16 elections held so far to the office of VicePresident of India were won uncontested, three due to rejection of nomination papers of the rival candidates and one due to lack of any opponent.
While S Radhakrishnan was elected unopposed as Vice-President twice, first in 1952 after the only other nomination paper filed was rejected and then in 1957 as he was the only validly nominated candidate; Mohammad Hidayatullah was elected unopposed in 1979. In 1987, Shankar Dayal Sharma was also elected unopposed, but only after the nomination papers filed by 26 other candidates were found to be invalid.
There were two contestants in 10 of the Vice-Presidential elections held so far, and three and six contestants in one each. Five Vice-Presidents exited the office before the end of their term — Krishna Kant due to his untimely demise in 2002; V V Giri, R Venkataraman and Shankar Dayal Sharma resigned from the post of Vice-President to become President in 1969 (Giri filled up the vacancy created by the death of his predecssor Zakir Hussain),1987 and 1992 respectively. Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned due to “medical reasons” last week.
These interesting details on 16 Vice-Presidential elections held so far can be found in a booklet put together by EC ahead of the 17th Vice-Presidential election, summarising the Constitutional provisions relating to the election, system of voting, and details of past elections in simple language, to enhance public awareness.
Though the electoral college for the Vice-Presidential election is small, comprising only members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including nominated ones, invalid votes were reported in almost all the elections that witnessed a contest. While 14 votes were declared invalid in the 1962 Vice-Presidential poll, the number was 3 in 1967, 10 in 1974, 30 in 1984, 10 in 1992, 46 in 1997, 7 in 2002, 10 in 2007, 8 in 2012, 11 in 2017 and 15 in 2022.
Brief pen portraits of the Vice Presidents of India
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who hails from Madras(Chennai), took charge of Vice President on May 13, 1952. He served as Vice President for two consecutive terms. Radhakrishnan was conferred on with India's highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna in the year 1954. His birthday is celebrated in India as Teachers' Day on September 5, since 1962.
Dr Zakir Hussain
Dr Zakir Hussian who hails from Andhra Pradesh, took charge of Vice President on May 13, 1962. He served as Vice President for two consecutive terms.
He has been the shortest serving President of India (May 13, 1967 - May 3, 1969). Hussian was conferred on with India's highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna in the year 1963. He has also served as Governor of Bihar from 1957 to 1962. Hussain also co-founded Jamia Milia Islamia university and served as its Vice Chancellor from 1928.
Dr Varahagiri Venkata Giri
Dr Varahagiri Venkata Giri was the first vice-president to not complete his full term in office on account of being elevated to the office of the President and was the third vice-president to be elected to the Presidency. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Dr Zakir Hussain were the first two. He was conferred on with India's highest civilian award the Bharat Ratna in the year 1975.
Gopal Swarup Pathak
Gopal Swarup Pathak who hails from Uttar Pradesh, took charge of Vice President on August 31, 1969. He was the judge in Allahabad High Court and was a member of Rajya Sabha from 1960-1966. He was born on February 26, 1896 and died on October 4, 1982 at the age of 86.
Basappa Danappa Jatti
Basappa Danappa Jatti who hails from Karnataka, took charge of Vice President on August 31, 1974. He served as Acting President of India for a brief period of time from February-July 1977 after the demise of Dr Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. Jatti has also served as the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry in 1968 and later became the Governor of Odisha in 1972.
Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah
Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah who hails from Uttar Pradesh, took charge of Vice President on August 31, 1979. Hidayatullah was the sixth Vice President of Independent India. He has also served as the 11th Chief Justice of India and the Acting President of India from July 20, 1969 to August 24, 1969 and from October 6, 1982 to October 31, 1982.
Dr Ramaswamy Venkataraman
Dr Ramaswamy Venkataraman who hails from Tamil Nadu, took charge of Vice President on August 31, 1984. Venkataraman was the seventh Vice President of Independent India. In 1942, Venkataraman was also jailed by the British for his involvement in the Indian independence movement. He has also served as the eighth president of India from July 1987 to July 1992.
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma
Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma who hails from Madhya Pradesh, took charge of Vice President on Sepetember 3, 1987. Sharma was the eighth Vice President of Independent India. He also was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. He also served as the governor of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.
Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Kocheril Raman Narayanan who hails from Kerala, took charge of Vice President on August 21, 1992. Narayanan was the ninth Vice President of India and went on to become the tenth President in 1997. He was the first member of the [Scheduled Caste] community to hold the post, and the only one until NDA's Ram Nath Kovind was elected in 2017.
Krishan Kant
Krishan Kant who hails from Punjab, took charge of Vice President on August 21, 1997. Kant was the tenth Vice President of India until his death. He was appointed the governor of Andhra Pradesh by V.P. Singh government in 1989 and served in that position for seven years, becoming one of India's longest-serving governors.
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who hails from Rajasthan, took charge of Vice President on August 19, 2002. Shekhawat was the eleventh Vice President of India. Before becoming Vice President, Shekhawat served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan three times. In Rajasthan, he is popularly known as Rajasthan ka ek hi Singh (The only lion of Rajasthan) and Babosa (Head of the family of Rajasthan).
Mohammad Hamid Ansari
Mohammad Hamid Ansari who hails from West Bengal, took charge of Vice President on August 11, 2007. Ansari was the twelfth Vice President of India. After Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Ansari is the first person to be re-elected as Vice President in 2012. August 10, 2017 will be his last day as Vice President. Ansari also became the the first Indian vice-president to serve during the terms of three presidents after Ram Nath Kovind took charge as President of India.
PM’s remarks at VP’s farewell function, 2017
July 8, 2018: The Times of India
Raising the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks at his farewell function almost a year ago, former Vice President Hamid Ansari says many considered the comments to be a departure from accepted practices on such occasions.
August 10, 2017 was the last day of Ansari's second term as Vice President (2007-2017) and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. According to tradition, leaders of political parties and members devoted the forenoon session to thanking the Chair.
"The Prime Minister participated in this and while being fulsome in his complements also hinted at what he perceived to be a certain inclination in my approach on account of my having spent, as he put it, both a good part of my professional tenure as a diplomat in Muslim lands and in post-retirement period on minority-related questions," Ansari said.
"The context, presumably, was my reference in the Bengaluru speech to what I perceived as 'enhanced apprehension of insecurity' and in the TV interview to 'a sense of unease creeping in' among Muslims and some other religious minorities.
In his last interview before he demitted office, Ansari had pointed out that Muslims in the country were experiencing a "feeling of unease".
"The subsequent furore by the 'faithful' on social media tended to lend credence to this. On the other hand, editorial comments and a good many serious writings considered the PM's remarks to be a departure from accepted practice on such occasions," he says.
He uses a line from an Urdu couplet to depict my words - "bhari bazm main raaz ki baat keh di (revealed in public what was hidden)".
Ansari also feels that the widely accepted pluralist view of nationalism and Indianness is now being challenged by a viewpoint depicting "purifying exclusivism" through the idea of "cultural nationalism".
The idea of 'cultural nationalism' is premised principally on a shared culture narrowly defined, he says.
Ansari addresses these issues in his new book "Dare I Question? Reflections on Contemporary Challenges", a collection of his speeches and writings, made mostly in his last year in office and some in recent months, and brought out by Har-Anand Publications.
According to Ansari, who had the distinction of being the only second Vice-President after S Radhakrishnan to serve for two consecutive terms, the debate on nationalism has wider ramifications for Indian democracy.
"In the typology of democracy; ours is a liberal one based on universal suffrage, tolerance, respect for diversity, a comprehensive charter of rights and Rule of Law that brings together the notions of rights, development, governance and justice."
"Their attainment is premised on equality and fraternity. Any dilution of this principle will take it in the direction of an ethnic democracy, implicitly or otherwise, and would bring forth an illiberal structure," he says.
According to Ansari, two sets of challenges are confronting the country - the first pertains to principles and values of public life and the second to institutional structures of the Indian polity.
"Both are succinctly expressed in the Preamble and dilated upon in the text of the Constitution; both seem to be under stress for a variety of reasons. Some of these are easily identified by reading the section on Fundamental Duties and assessing the extent to which these are observed individually and collectively.
"Three among these, namely promotion of harmony, preservation of composite culture, and development of scientific temper, seem to be challenged with particular frequency and ferocity; this is indicative of reservations about their meaning and intent," he writes in the book's preface.
M. Venkaiah Naidu
M. Venkaiah Naidu who hails from Andhra Pradesh, will be the thirteenth person to take oath as Vice President of India on August 11, 2017. Naidu is the second Vice President from Andhra Pradesh. By virtue of being vice president, Naidu also becomes ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. His position's term is set at five years and he can technically be re-elected as vice president any number of times. Naidu served as Union minister for urban development in PM Narendra Modi's Cabinet. He served as the BJP national president from 2002 to 2004. Earlier, Naidu also served as Cabinet Minister for rural Development in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
His tenure
August 7, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, who demits office on August 10, will leave behind a legacy of having bumped up the performance of Rajya Sabha as its chairman on several counts, improving productivity of the House and encouraging the use of mother tongue besides a detailed study of the functioning of the House of Elders. Since he took over and till the Budget session this year, productivity in the first five sessions was in the range of only 6. 80% to 58. 80%, which improved over the next eight sessions, from 76% to 105%. Naidu is also responsible for commissioning a deep dive into the history of the functioning of RS in the last five years and the Upper House’s functional evolution since 1978. The resultant book — ‘Rajya Sabha: 2017-2022 -An Overview — will be released on August 8, and will detail Naidu’s first-of-their-kind initiatives to improve the functioning of the House and its committees. Key changes brought about by him include putting to an end colonial practices in the House, increased use of Indian languages and the emphasis on using the mother tongue, technology adoption to enhance the effectiveness of the functioning of Rajya Sabha MPs and the RS secretariat and reform initiatives in respect of the functioning of the House. Some of the key outcomes attributable to Naidu’s tenure include 52 Bills being passed in 2019, the highest in 36 years. . The top five issues that disrupted the proceedings during Naidu’s tenure included special category status for Andhra Pradesh; that was raised in 36 sittings; spread across more than one session; passing of farm laws and farmers’ protest (19), Pegasus spyware (17), the demand for constitution of Cauvery Waters Management Board (17), and the demand for revocation of suspension of 12 members effected during the Winter Session of 2021 (12).
Jagdeep Dhankhar
Swati Mathur, August 7, 2022: The Times of India
New Delhi: NDA nominee Jagdeep Dhankhar was elected as the 14th Vice-President of India, defeating joint opposition candidate Margaret Alva after securing 528 votes (72. 8%) against his rival’s tally of 182.
Though the outcome of the VP contest was a foregone conclusion, Dhankhar’s victory was rich in symbolism as it signalled the continued dominance of PM Narendra Modi-led BJP, with all key constitutional posts — President, VP (who is also Rajya Sabha chairman) and Lok Sabha Speaker —held by party-backed nominees. It also dealt a body blow to the anti-BJP camp, which had pitched the VP polls as a battle of ideologies between “Constitution keepers and those who undermine it”.
Resigned on 21 July 2025
