VP Elections Today: A Look At Former Vice Presidents Of India

Vice President Elections: The voting for the vice-presidential elections is scheduled today, Sept 9, 2025. The voting will take place in the Parliament House from 10 am to 5 pm, and the counting of votes will begin at 6 pm, as the results are expected to be announced later in the evening.

The post remains vacant after the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing health issues. The election will be held at the Parliament House in New Delhi. 

The ruling NDA backed Maharashtra Government CP Radhakrishnan, whereas the Opposition INDIA bloc took a chance on former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy for the 15th Vice President of India.

Here is the complete list of former vice presidents of India

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1952–1962) – He was the first Vice President of India. He was also the second Vice President. In his honour, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on his birthday, September 5.

Born on September 5, 1888, he served as a Professor of Philosophy at Calcutta University. As per the Rajya Sabha website, he also served as Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, 1931-36, Banaras Hindu University, 1939-48 and Indian Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to U.S.S.R., 1949-52.

Dr. Zakir Husain (1962–1967) – He was the first Muslim Vice President of Independent India. He is remembered for his contribution to modern education. He was the co-founder of Jamia Millia Islamia.

VV Giri (1967–1969) – Giri was a trade union leader who ascended to this second top post. To contest the Presidential elections, he resigned from the vice president’s post. Later, he became the 4th President of India. He is famous for being elected as an independent candidate.

Gopal Swarup Pathak (1969–1974) – He was a lawyer and later became a judge. He served the VP post when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister.  

BD Jatti (1974–1979) –  After Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s sudden death, he served as Acting President of India in 1977.

Mohammad Hidayatullah (1979–1984) – He was the former Chief Justice of India who also acted as President of India.

R. Venkataraman (1984–1987) – He played a key role in strengthening India’s economy in the 1980s. Later, he was elected as the 8th President of India.

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1987–1992) – Famous for his contribution to law and politics, he later became the 9th President of India.

K. R. Narayanan (1992–1997) – He became India’s first Dalit President in 1997.

Krishan Kant (1997–2002) – He was a Janata Dal leader who served as Governor of Andhra Pradesh before becoming Vice President. He died in office in 2002.

Bhairon Singh Shekhawat (2002–2007) – He served as Vice President when APJ Abdul Kalam was President.

Mohammad Hamid Ansari (2007–2017) – With a vast diplomatic career, he served two terms as Vice President. Earlier, he served as India’s Ambassador to the UN and the USA.

M. Venkaiah Naidu (2017–2022) – BJP veteran who was the Union Minister before becoming the Vice President. He is better known for his stance in the field of rural development and regional languages.

Jagdeep Dhankhar (2022–2025) – Jagdeep Dhankhar served as the 14th Vice President of India, who resigned on July 21, 2025, citing health reasons.

Due to his resignation, the post remains vacant. To fill the vacancy, the Election Commission of India today, Sept. 9, 2025, is holding elections for the post of Vice President.

The ruling NDA backed Maharashtra Government, CP Radhakrishnan, whereas the Opposition INDIA bloc took a chance on former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy.

Who Elects The Vice President of India?

With 233 elected members of the Rajya Sabha (Presently 05 seats are vacant), 12 nominated members of the Upper House and 543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (Presently 01 seat is vacant), the Electoral College, currently, comprises a total of 788 members (Presently 782 members) of both Houses of Parliament.

The value of the vote of each Member of Parliament would be the same, i.e. 1 (one).

As per Article 66 of the Indian Constitution, the Vice President is elected by the system of proportional representation using a single transferable vote and voting by secret ballot.

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