Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation as vice president has shocked the commentariat, stunned the political class, and befuddled the Opposition which, till the other day, was baying for his blood.
With the resignation a fait accompli, all eyes are on who will succeed Dhankhar.
On the face of it the qualifications to become vice president are simple: He/she must be a citizen of India; be at least 35 years old; must be qualified to be elected as a Rajya Sabha member; and be a registered voter anywhere in India
However, the reality is different. It is an elected post, and usually the government of the day has its way since the electoral college comprises Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members.
In the present case, what piques the narrative is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah decide on crucial matters, they play it close to their chest, and revel in springing a surprise (remember Yogi Adityanath being picked as UP chief minister in March 2017?)
With that caveat firmly in place, here's a look at who could succeed Dhankhar for the number two post on the official protocol list.
Harivansh Narayan Singh
A no-brainer, this.
A former journalist -- he began his career at The Times of India -- Singh also served as media advisor to then prime minister Chandra Shekhar.
A nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from the Janata Dal-United, Singh first became deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha in 2018, and for the second time in 2024.
If the government seeks continuity with change, Singh is the obvious choice for vice president.
J P Nadda
With the Bharatiya Janata Party going through the process of internal elections, culminating in the election of a new party president, Jagat Prasad Nadda is due for a leg up.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers, Nadda has headed the BJP since 2020.
The party recently elected new state chiefs in 19 states, a requirement under its constitution to set in motion the national president's election.
If the BJP is looking for a politician with a legal background to succeed Dhankar, it need not look beyond Nadda.
Nitish Kumar
That the BJP has been eyeing the Bihar chief minister's post for long is no secret.
That standing in the way is incumbent chief minister, Nitish Kumar, is also no secret.
The BJP could have had its way in 2020 when it emerged as the single largest party, but it did not push the case.
But patience is running out, and it knows it cannot spend another five years as junior partner.
But what about Nitish Kumar?
Make him the V-P, dangle the President's post five years hence, and ensure a smooth handover in Patna.
Only hitch: Nitish Kumar's unconfirmed health concerns. Especially since Dhankhar has stepped down citing the same reasons.
Arif Mohammed Khan
Remember how then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee muted criticism of his party's anti-minority stance by nominating A P J Abdul Kalam as President -- forcing even Sonia Gandhi to break ranks with the Opposition and back him?
If Modi-Shah want to let the cats among the Opposition's pigeons and burnish its 'Sab ka Saath' claims, Khan, who has for long plowed a lonely furrow battling Muslim orthodoxy, could be their man.
Shashi Tharoor
If Modi-Shah have finessed the art of pulling a rabbit out of the hat, what better way to demonstrate it than nominating a man who is in the Congress but does not belong to it?
Tharoor has been cut loose by his party ever since he backed the government on the Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach.
Since returning to the country he has been virtually sidelined, the Congress waiting for him to quit rather than expel him and make a martyr out of him.
Modi-Shah may well reward the articulate and charming Tharoor by making him the VP and winning over the chatterati.
And who knows, make him President, too, five years hence.
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