Jagdeep Dhankhar

Jagdeep Dhankhar (born May 18, 1951, Kithana, Rajasthan, India) is an Indian lawyer and politician who was elected vice president of the country in August 2022. He resigned in July 2025, two years before the end of his five-year term. Prior to his vice presidency, Dhankhar served as the governor of West Bengal state.

Early career

Dhankhar attended various schools in Rajasthan state before graduating with a degree in physics from Maharaja College, an affiliate of the University of Rajasthan. In 1979 he received a degree in law from the University of Rajasthan and began a successful legal career. He practiced as a lawyer in the high court of Rajasthan and in the Supreme Court of India, attaining a high level of seniority.

In parallel, Dhankhar embarked on a political career and was elected to the Lok Sabha (the lower house of Indian Parliament) in 1989 as a member of the Janata Dal party. He served as the minister of state for parliamentary affairs from 1990 to 1991. He joined the Indian National Congress in 1991 and transferred from national to state politics for a short period, serving in the Rajasthan assembly as a lawmaker from 1993 to 1998. In 2003 he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and played a significant role in the party’s legal affairs.

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Governor of West Bengal

Dhankhar was appointed governor of West Bengal in 2019 and served until 2022. His governorship was controversial and marked by friction with the state’s Trinamool Congress government, led by Mamata Banerjee. In sharp contrast to the largely ceremonial nature of the governor’s position, Dhankhar became known for criticizing Banerjee’s administration—directly to the state government as well as on his social media accounts—and for withholding assent to some state bills. He used his legal acumen in several contentious situations, such as invoking the right to equality enshrined in the Constitution of India when he was denied board membership by Kolkata’s La Martiniere schools on religious grounds—the schools’ constitution specifies that permanent members of the board must be Christian, and Dhankhar is Hindu.

Vice president of India

Dhankhar was nominated as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for vice president in July 2022. He won the election with an overwhelming majority and assumed office on August 11. As vice president he served as the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Indian Parliament). Like his governorship, Dhankhar’s vice presidency defied the apolitical nature of the post, and he became known for making politically loaded remarks, often in favor of the ruling BJP.

Resignation

Dhankhar offered his resignation from the post of vice president on July 21, 2025, citing ill health. The surprise announcement triggered media speculation about his exit. His resignation was accepted by the president, Droupadi Murmu, and the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh, assumed temporary charge of presiding over the Rajya Sabha’s proceedings.