India’s Vice-Presidential Election 2025: Process and rules

By Ravindra Garimella

The vice president of India, the second-highest constitutional office in the republic, also serves as the ex-officio chair of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

The election for the vice president is underway following the July 21, 2025, resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on health grounds. Dhankhar was elected on Aug. 11, 2022, with a term scheduled to run until Aug. 10, 2027. His resignation has triggered an election nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Constitutional provisions

Under Article 67 of the Constitution of India, the vice president serves a five-year term from the date they assume office. If the office becomes vacant due to death, resignation or removal, Article 68(2) requires an election “as soon as possible.” The elected successor is entitled to a full five-year term from the date of assuming office.

The electoral college for the vice president, defined by Article 66(1), consists of all members of both houses of Parliament—the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), including the 12 nominated members of the Rajya Sabha.

To be eligible, a candidate must:

• Be a citizen of India
• Be at least 35 years old
• Qualify for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha

A person holding any office of profit under the Union, a state government, or local authority is ineligible, with exceptions for the president, vice president, state governors, or Union/state ministers.

Statutory provisions

The Vice-Presidential Election Act, 1952, and the Vice-Presidential Election Rules, 1974, govern the process.

Under Section 3(1) of the Act, the Election Commission of India, in consultation with the central government, appoints a returning officer based in New Delhi, with authority to name assistant returning officers. By convention, the secretary generals of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha alternate as returning officer. Since the Lok Sabha secretary general served in 2022, the Rajya Sabha secretary general will act as returning officer in 2025.

Vice-presidential election, 2025

Rule 40 of the 1974 Rules requires the Election Commission to maintain a list of the electoral college in the following order:

1. Elected members of the Rajya Sabha
2. Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha
3. Elected members of the Lok Sabha

READ: Inside the Indian Parliament: Insights from veteran parliamentary officer Ravindra Garimella (September 22, 2024)

The list is arranged alphabetically by state or union territory. Members whose elections have been set aside by a high court but who continue in office under an interim court order are excluded from voting, even if their names appear in the list.

For the 2025 vice-presidential election, the electoral college includes:

• Rajya Sabha: 233 elected, 12 nominated
• Lok Sabha: 543 elected
  Total: 788 members

The vice president is chosen through proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

Ballot papers list candidates’ names without party symbols. Each ballot has two columns: “Name of Candidate” and “Mark Order of Preference.”

Electors indicate their first preference with the numeral “1” opposite the candidate’s name. They may indicate additional preferences with 2, 3, 4, and so on. Preferences may be marked in international numerals, Roman numerals, or Indian language numerals, but not in words. Ballots are valid as long as a first preference is correctly marked, even if subsequent preferences are left blank.

The value of vote of each Member of Parliament, in vice-presidential elections is ONE.

Schedule of Vice-Presidential Elections, 2025

Developments so far

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies have nominated C. P. Radhakrishnan, who filed his nomination papers on Aug. 20, 2025.

The combined opposition has nominated Justice (Ret.) B. Sudershan Reddy, who filed his nomination papers on Aug. 21, 2025.

The candidate declared elected on Sept. 9, 2025, will serve a full five-year term.

VICE PRESIDENTS OF INDIA

This article has sought to outline the key constitutional provisions, statutory requirements, and procedural aspects of the vice-presidential election. It is intended to serve as both an informative and engaging read.

(Written by Ravindra Garimella, Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha; formerly Joint Secretary (Legislation), Lok Sabha Secretariat, and Assistant Returning Officer for the 2017 Presidential Election.)