Election for new Vice President to be held 'as soon as possible' following Dhankhar's resignation
New Delhi (PTI): With Jagdeep Dhankhar quitting as the vice president, the election to appoint his successor will have to be held "as soon as possible".
According to Clause 2 of Article 68 of the Constitution, an election to fill a vacancy in the office of the vice president occurring due to his death, resignation or removal, or otherwise will be held "as soon as possible" after it becomes vacant.
The person elected to fill the vacancy will be entitled to hold office "for the full term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office".
The Constitution is silent on who performs the duties of the vice president in case of his death or resignation before the expiry of his term, or when the vice president acts as the President of India.
The vice president is the second highest constitutional office in the country. He serves for a five-year term, but can continue to be in office, irrespective of the expiry of the term, until the successor assumes office.
The only provision in the Constitution is with regard to the vice president's function as the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, which is performed, during the period of such vacancy, by the deputy chairperson or any other member of the Rajya Sabha authorised by the President of India.
The vice president may vacate his office by submitting his resignation to the President. The resignation becomes effective from the day it is accepted.
The vice president is the ex-officio chairperson (holding the office of the Rajya Sabha chairperson by virtue of being the vice president) of the Rajya Sabha and does not hold any other office of profit.
During any period when the vice president acts as, or discharges the functions of the President, he does not perform the duties of the office of the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha and is not entitled to any salary or allowances payable to the chairperson of the Upper House.
According to Article 66 of the Constitution, the vice president is elected by the members of the Electoral College consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.
A person cannot be elected as vice president unless he is a citizen of India, has completed the age of 35, and is qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
A person is not eligible if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India, a state government, or any subordinate local authority.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
