Mystery deepens over whereabouts of Jagdeep Dhankhar

Two weeks after his abrupt and unexpected resignation on 21 July — citing health concerns — former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar has remained conspicuously out of public view. The resulting vacuum has turned into a political flashpoint, with Opposition leaders demanding answers from the government and casting the ex-VP’s disappearance as a mystery of national concern.

Dhankhar tendered his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on 21 July, under Article 67(a) of the Constitution, stating a need to “prioritise health care and follow medical advice”. The move surprised many; he forfeited nearly two years of his constitutionally mandated five-year term. As chairman of the Rajya Sabha, his abrupt departure required deputy chairman Harivansh to officiate in his stead — a disruption at the height of the monsoon session.

Within hours of his resignation, Dhankhar began vacating the spanking-new Vice-President Enclave, where he had lived for about 15 months. Sources suggest the haste with which he left signalled underlying urgency.

Reports indicate the resignation was preceded by political friction. Dhankhar unapologetically accepted an Opposition-sponsored impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, reportedly blindsiding the Union government. That move reportedly triggered a flurry of behind-closed-doors meetings within the ruling NDA, culminating in Dhankhar’s decision to step down.

The Congress has expressed scepticism about the “health reasons” stated, calling for greater transparency. Meanwhile, speculation continues about shifting power dynamics and forthcoming leadership adjustments within the BJP, centering around the continued inability to find a new party president as well as the search for a new Indian vice-president.

Since his resignation, Dhankhar has not appeared in public or spoken through official channels. A couple of media reports claiming a '45-minute meeting' with Prime Minister Narendra Modi remain unsubstantiated. And Opposition figures have raised the alarm.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal — once a fierce critic of Dhankhar though they were colleagues in the judicial system — now demands clarity on his status, quipping: “We’ve heard of laapataa (missing) ladies, but not of a laapataa vice-president.” Sibal added that multiple efforts by well-known leaders to contact Dhankhar have gone unanswered, prompting him to question whether even a habeas corpus petition might be appropriate.

Similarly, Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday, 11 August, asking point-blank: “Where is our former Vice-President? What is his current location and health status?” The letter reflects nationwide anxiety over the complete lack of official updates.

The absence of any official response from the government has only fed the frenzy. Some speculate the silence may indicate a desire to avoid fuelling more speculation, while others argue the opacity weakens institutional norms around transparency.

Meanwhile, with the vice-presidential post vacant, the Election Commission has slated a new election. The notification came on 7 August, with polling now scheduled for 9 September. Names such as Harivansh and agriculture minister Ram Nath Thakur are touted as potential NDA candidates.

Wilder speculation has even dredged up such names as veteran BJP leader and two-time Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and long-time RSS man Sanjay Joshi, both well-known antagonists of PM Modi.

Dhankhar, a seasoned lawyer, had previously served as West Bengal Governor and parliamentary affairs minister before becoming vice-president in August 2022, winning with a resounding 74.4 per cent vote margin. He is remembered for reforming Rajya Sabha proceedings, including his efforts to amplify women’s representation, even as his tenure was marked by frequent clashes with Opposition MPs thanks to his overwhelming bias towards the treasury benches, and his out-of-line criticism of what he saw as judicial overreach.

As he vacates the official residence, per pension norms, Dhankhar will relocate to a Type VIII government bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi and receive a pension of 50 per cent of his salary, along with other continuing benefits.

What began as a private matter of health has snowballed into a political spectacle. The silence surrounding Dhankhar has engendered uneasy comparisons with a thriller, blurring the line between individual privacy and public interest.

Until the government or Dhankhar himself breaks the silence, both the political establishment and public are left in the dark — watching closely, waiting for a signal, and wondering how quickly mystery may give way to disclosure.

With media and agency inputs