25 July 2025 : The Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is likely to contest the vice presidential poll after a collective decision on a common candidate, PTI reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The sources said the bloc feels that the numbers are not overwhelmingly stacked against the opposition despite the BJP-led NDA having a majority.
They added that there is a feeling that the opposition parties should not shy away from a contest to send a strong political message, irrespective of the outcome.
Earlier on Wednesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge told HT that the INDIA bloc will “collectively take a decision” regarding the upcoming vice-presidential election.
“We will call a meeting of the INDIA group parties and take a collective decision on what to do for the VP election,” Kharge said.
The election for the vice president was necessitated after former vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on Monday.
Dhankhar, who was also Chairman of Rajya Sabha, sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, saying that he is resigning “to prioritise health care and abide by medical advice.”
Vice President election: Where numbers stand
The effective strength of both Houses is 782, and the winning candidate will need to win 392 votes in the vice president’s election, considering all eligible voters exercise their franchise.
All members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, including the nominated ones, vote in the vice presidential poll.
In Lok Sabha, while the BJP-led NDA enjoys the support of 293 members in the 542-member House, the INDIA bloc has 234 members.
The ruling alliance has the support of about 130 members in the Rajya Sabha, which has an effective strength of 240, assuming that the nominated members vote in support of the NDA nominee. The INDIA bloc has the support of 79 members in the Upper House.
Effectively, the NDA has 423 members in Parliament, and the INDIA bloc has 313 members, the remaining being non-aligned.
Summary:
Following Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s surprise exit, the INDIA bloc is evaluating a joint candidate but remains uncertain about securing the necessary numbers in Parliament.