9 pm visit, 9:25 pm exit: Why did Jagdeep Dhankhar turn up 'unannounced' at Rashtrapati Bhavan before quitting as Vice-President?

In an unexpected political move, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post late on Tuesday evening. What shocked many even more was the way he went about it, by turning up unannounced at Rashtrapati Bhavan to meet President Droupadi Murmu.

Surprise at the President’s office

According to reports quoted by TOI, Dhankhar arrived at 9 pm without any prior appointment. The sudden visit caused a stir in the usually calm and protocol-driven President’s office. Officials rushed to inform the military secretary, and a hastily arranged meeting with President Murmu followed.

As required by the Constitution, Dhankhar handed over his resignation letter to the President during the meeting. He then posted the news on X (formerly Twitter) at 9:25 pm, catching the public and political circles by surprise.

No signs earlier in the day

There had been no hint of the resignation throughout the day. Everything had appeared normal in Parliament, and Dhankhar’s sudden decision seemed to have come out of nowhere.

The Union Home Ministry later issued a formal gazette notification, confirming the resignation. It stated, “Resignation of Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice-President of India, is hereby published for general information.”
The notification was signed by Home Secretary Govind Mohan.

Other political visits

Earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh also visited Rashtrapati Bhavan. He had chaired the morning session in the Rajya Sabha and met the President later, a moment captured and shared on the official Rashtrapati Bhavan X handle.

However, no photograph of the Dhankhar-Murmu meeting has been released to the public so far, adding to the mystery around the sudden development.

Inputs from TOI