VP Jagdeep Dhankhar: From Janata Dal, Congress, To BJP; A Storied Political Career

A Sainik school cadet in Rajasthan, Jagdeep Dhankhar, India’s 14th Vice‑President, was a lawyer, a parliamentarian known as much for his controversial public spats as his landmark decisions. In a career spanning over three decades, Dhankar wore many hats, including state governor and parliament’s presiding office. 

Born May 18 1951 in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, Dhankhar did his formative schooling at Sainik School, Chittorgarh, and went on to study law at the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

He started his legal practice in 1979, and was designated Senior Advocate by the Rajasthan High Court in March 1990.

1989: First Steps Into Politics

Dhankhar’s foray into politics began in 1989, when fielded as a candidate by the Janata Dal party, he won a Lok Sabha seat at Jhunjhunu. Thereafter Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar appointed him the Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs. Though that government fell in 1991, his reputation as a deft parliamentary strategist was cemented during that time. 

1993: Switch to INC

Two years later, he switched parties and secured a Kishangarh seat in the Rajasthan Assembly elections of 1993 as a member of the Indian National Congress. He served for five years. 

2003: Move to BJP

Then, half a decade later, Dhankhar joined the BJP and was appointed national convener of the saffron party’s Law & Legal Affairs.

2019: Bengal Governor: Clash of Mamata

Dhankhar became the Governor of West Bengal in 2019. The posting, and his constant, public run-ins with TMC supremo and WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would define his career at this stage. 

The pair had near‐daily feuds with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He issued official communiqués that accused the WB state government of “constitutional violations.” When he was excluded from Durga Puja ceremonies in the state, he wrote that he was being “humiliated”, a slight he said no Bengali would tolerate. 

2022: Vice‑Presidency

Dhankhar was elevated to the post of Vice-Presidential candidate by the NDA in August 2022, and elected unopposed. He succeeded M Venkaiah Naidu. His reign as VP and chairman of Rajya Sabha was as fiery as his time as WB Governor. 

Clashes As VP and RS Chairman (2023 –2025)

In December 2023, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee imitated Dhankhar in the top House, and this led to a controversy with Dhankhar saying the MP had insulted his identity as a Jat and a farmer. 

In 2024, Congress and Dhankhar clashed when the ex-VP took on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge because the former would not allow RLD MP Jayant Chaudhary to speak on the Bharat Ratna award. Kharge accused Dhankar of political bias; the ex-VP took exception to the charge and retorted: “Because I come from the farmer community… that doesn’t mean I am a weak Chairman. I have tolerated a lot.”

After Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused RLD MP Jayant Singh of conduct unbecoming,

Dhankhar took offense and accused Ramesh of conduct unbecoming of a member of parliament. 

In July 2024, Kharge accused Dhankhar of perpetuating a caste-based hierarchy, aka the Varna system, when the former VP praised Ramesh as “intelligent and gifted” over the Congress President. Dhankhar dismissed this saying his words were taken out of context. 

In August 2024, Dhankar had a public spat with SP MP Jaya Bachchan during a debate in Rajya Sabha. Bachchan said Dhankhar’s tone “unacceptable,” and when he defended his conduct, the opposition MPs walked out of the RS in protest.

In February 2025, during the debates while tabling of the Waqf Act, Dhankhar had warned protesting MPs of "severe consequences" if forced to take action. "Don't show disrespect to the President of India..." Dhankhar had said and told Kharge to ask the opposition members to take their seats.

In March 2025, Dhankhar said that forces were attempting to erode Bharat’s cultural and spiritual heritage, emphasising that Sanatan Dharma stands for inclusivity, universal values, and nation.

“Sanatan stands for inclusivity, universal values, patriotism, and rising above caste, creed, and economic divisions. No other country in the world has a 5,000-year-old sanskriti."

In April 2025, Dhankhar commented on the Supreme Court ruling on the Tamil Nadu governor’s asset to legistlation, prompting senior advocate Kapil Sibal to criticise the former VO saying such remarks were an “intrusion on legislature’s supremacy.” 

In June 2025, in relation to the Judges cash row, Sibal accused Dhankhar of bias in the handling of internal judicial complaints, saying that the VP was giving preferential treatment Justice Yadav over Justice Varma. Both judges are facing impeachment. 

On July 21, 2025, on the first day of the Parliament’s Monsoon session, Dhankar cited health concerns and a desire to “prioritise health care and follow medical advice,” while tendering his resignation—a surprise exit that sent ripples through New Delhi’s power circles.