Read about the Vice President of India – Role, Responsibilities, Job Profile and Salary

Some scholars who have a critical view of the Vice President's roles have called this position "His Exaggerated Highness". The Vice President of India draws his salary as the ex-officio Speaker of the Rajya Sabha. The current Vice President of India is M. Venkaiah Naidu, Who took power in 2017 as the 13th Vice President of India after defeating Gopal Krishna Gandhi by 272 votes. Article 63-73 in the Indian Constitution explains in detail about the functions of the Vice-President, The electoral process, the conditions of office, etc. Get information about the list of Presidents of India.

The Post of the Vice President of India is the second highest post in the country and his powers have been determined on the lines of the US Vice President. As we know that the Indian Constitution has incorporated the provisions of many countries, Broadly it is similar to the British Constitution. Unlike the US Vice President, the Indian Vice President is one of the nominal heads of state like the President. The vice-presidential system was established to maintain political continuity in the state.

Qualifications Required to become Vice President

1. He should be a Citizen of India.
2. The Minimum age of the candidates should be 35 years or above.
3. He should be eligible to contest election as a member of Rajya Sabha.
4. He should not hold any office of profit in any form in the Central Government or State Government or local authority.

Here we have understood the qualifications which are essential to get elected as Vice President. Let us tell you that just like the Presidential elections, The Vice Presidential elections are also conducted by the Election Commission. The Vice President is elected Indirectly.

Articles related to Vice President in the Indian Constitution

The method of Election of the Vice-President is described in Article 66 of the Constitution of India. The Vice President is not directly elected by the citizens. Rather, they are elected through an electoral college consisting of members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The following is the electoral process for the Vice-President:-

1. The electoral college consists of elected and nominated members of both the houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) for the election of the Vice-President. Conversely, in a presidential election, only the elected members can cast their vote.
2. The members of the State Legislative Assembly are also not involved in the Vice Presidential election, in the case of the Presidential election, the MLA also casts his vote.

Now we are aware of the fact that how the Vice Presidential elections are conducted in India. It is also important to know here that the term of the Vice President is for five years. In case of removal of the Vice President, there is no need for a formal impeachment process. He can be removed from office through a resolution passed by a majority in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. This motion can be introduced only in Rajya Sabha and not in Lok Sabha.

Also, the Vice-President can continue in office beyond a term of five years until the next Vice-President takes formal charge of the office. He is also eligible for re-election and can be elected at any time. The only two Vice Presidents who have held office more than twice are Dr. S. Radhakrishnan from 1952–1962 and more recently, Mohd. Hamid Ansari from 2007 to 2017.

Role of the President of India

For a term of five years, unless an impeachment motion is passed against him; The Vice President performs the following roles-

• The Vice President acts as the ex-officio Speaker of the Rajya Sabha, he carries out the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha under Article 64. They maintain the sanctity of Rajya Sabha and have the power to take action in case of any violation.
• He serves as the Speaker for 6 months in case of resignation, impeachment, serious illness or death of the President. During this, if the Vice-President cannot perform the duties of the Rajya Sabha. While serving as the President, he enjoys the same powers and immunities as being the President. Two examples of such a situation are when, after the death of President Zakir Hussain in 1969, V.V. Giri held the office of the President for six months and so did B.D. Jatti assumed the presidency after the death of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.
• The Vice President secures the rights and privileges of the members of the Council of States.
• The Vice President decides whether the bill which is being introduced in the Rajya Sabha is a financial bill or not.
• The Vice President has the power to cast the deciding vote in case of a tie during the election, but under normal circumstances, he does not have the right to vote as he is also a member of the Rajya Sabha.

List of Vice President of India

The List of Vice President of India is given in the table below:

List of Vice President of India	Tenure
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	13 May 1952 to 14 May 1957
Dr. Zakir Hussain	13 May 1962 to 12 May 1967
Varahagiri Venkatagiri	13 May 1967 to 03 May 1969
Gopal Swaroop Pathak	31 August 1969 to 30 August 1974
B.D. Jatti	31 August 1974 to 30 August 1979
Mohammad Hidayatullah	31 August 1979 to 30 August 1984
R. Venkataraman	31 August 1984 to 27 July 1987
Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma	03 September 1987 to 24 July 1992
K. R. Narayanan	21 August 1992 to 24 July 1997
Krishnakant	21 August 1997 to 27 July 2002
Bhairon Singh Shekhawat	19 August 2002 to 21 July 2007
Mohammad Hamid Ansari	11 August 2007 to 19 July 2017
Venkaiah Naidu	11 August 2017 to present

Here we have explained in detail about Vice President's functions, electoral process, terms of office etc. We also talked about impeachment and the difference between presidential and vice-presidential elections. Although the office of the Vice President may be nominal, He is the ex-officio Speaker of the Rajya Sabha, Which is similar to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The Vice President serves as the country's representative head of state at International Events and Summits. The post of Vice President may seem Nominal, But this post holds its own importance in the Indian Polity.

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