The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary Board is scheduled to convene on August 17 at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Sources indicate that a key item on the agenda will be finalizing the ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) candidate for the upcoming vice-presidential election.
The vice-presidential election was triggered by the resignation of the incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on August 4, 2025, citing medical reasons. This sudden exit has spurred political speculation. The Election Commission has announced that the vice-presidential poll will take place on September 9.
The BJP parliamentary board meeting holds significance as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J P Nadda are authorized to select the candidate. The decision-making power rests with them to nominate the individual who will represent the NDA in the election.
In the vice-presidential election, members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated MPs, elect the Vice President. The two Houses have a total strength of 781 members, so a winning candidate would need at least 391 votes, assuming everyone participates. The NDA appears to have a comfortable lead with around 422 MPs.
The INDIA bloc is also preparing to field a joint candidate. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, has reportedly contacted opposition leaders to try and agree on a candidate. While there hasn't been an official meeting, informal talks are happening. Some within the bloc suggest waiting until the BJP reveals its choice before announcing their candidate, while others believe they should compete regardless to make a strong political statement.
The Election Commission has set August 21 as the deadline to submit nomination papers. These nominations will be reviewed on August 22, and the last day to withdraw is August 25. So far, three nomination papers have been submitted to P. C. Mody, the Rajya Sabha secretary general who is the returning officer, but they were all rejected because they didn't meet the required procedures.
