Candidate Selection by NDA:
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has entrusted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda with the responsibility of selecting the Vice Presidential candidate for the election. This decision was made during a high-level meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in which all allied parties also expressed their agreement.

Announcement Timeline:
The NDA is expected to announce its candidate by August 12 or 13, in order to complete the nomination process before it closes on August 21.

Election Process & Preparations:
Following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21 due to health reasons, the Election Commission began the candidate selection process, which includes voting by members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The final deadline for filing nominations has also been set.

Support from Allied Parties:
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced unconditional support from the Shiv Sena for the NDA’s proposed candidate.

Who Could Be the Potential Candidates?
Although no official names have been announced yet, the media and political analysts are focusing on these possible contenders:

Nitish Kumar (JDU) – Chief Minister of Bihar

Harivansh Singh – Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha

Ram Nath Thakur (JD(U)) – Union Minister of State, from the OBC community

Arif Mohammad Khan, T. C. Gehlot, Acharya Devvrat, Vinai Kumar Saxena, Seshadri Chari, Manoj Sinha, Rajnath Singh, among other senior leaders with potential vote bank appeal.

Summary Table