Jagdeep Dhankhar’s successor: Bihar leader Ram Nath Thakur leads race to be India's new Vice President

NEW DELHI: Just a day after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s shock exit, discussions are ongoing for his successor. Ram Nath Thakur, son of former Bihar Chief Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee Karpuri Thakur, is being considered. Ram Nath Thakur, the Minister of State for Agriculture, belongs to the backwards class.

Dhankhar was nominated as the Vice Presidential candidate in 2022 with the title of being a farmer's son. The government aimed to appease the Jat community, which was at loggerheads with the BJP in Rajasthan, where assembly elections were to be held the following year. Ram Nath Thakur may be considered for Dhankhar's successor if the same caste equations are followed, considering the upcoming crucial Bihar polls.

Bihar Chief Minister and JDU leader Nitish Kumar is a possibility, but the BJP leadership want someone who works under their command rather than on their own terms. JP Nadda, who is likely to step down as the BJP national president, is another face. To resolve the lack of Muslim faces in the Union Cabinet, former Kerala Governor and current Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, former Supreme Court Judge Syed Abdu Nassar, who is the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, and former Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are also being considered. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh is also a loyalist of the leadership.