Election Commission Appoints Rajya Sabha Secretary General As Returning Officer For Vice-Presidential Election

The Election Commission on Friday (25 July) announced the appointment of Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody as the returning officer for the Vice-Presidential election.

Further, Garima Jain, Joint Secretary in Rajya Sabha Secretariat and Vijay Kumar, Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat have been appointed as assistant returning officers by the poll panel.

"Under Section 3 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952, the Election Commission, in consultation with the Central Government, appoints a Returning Officer, who shall have his office in New Delhi, and may also appoint one or more Assistant Returning Officers," the EC said in a statement on Friday.

"As per convention, either Secretary General, Lok Sabha or Secretary General, Rajya Sabha is appointed as Returning Officer by rotation. During the last Vice-Presidential election, the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha was appointed as the Returning Officer. Therefore, the Election Commission, in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice and with the consent of the Hon’ble Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, has appointed the Secretary General, Rajya Sabha as Returning Officer for ensuing Vice-Presidential Election, 2025," the poll panel said.

"The Election Commission of India has also appointed Ms. Garima Jain, Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat and Shri Vijay Kumar, Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat as Assistant Returning Officers during the course of Vice-Presidential Election, 2025," the statement added.

The poll panel said that a gazette notification to this effect will be issued today.

Jagdeep Dhankhar vacated the Vice-President's post on Monday, resigning midway through his term due to health reasons.

However, according to media reports, the resignation reportedly came after Dhankhar's decision to accept an Opposition-backed motion seeking the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma in the Rajya Sabha may have upset the government.

The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college comprising both elected and nominated members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Voting is held by secret ballot in Parliament using proportional representation and a single transferable vote system.

Under election rules, once the schedule is notified, the process must conclude within 30–32 days.

This includes 14 days for nominations, a day for scrutiny, two days for withdrawal, and a minimum 15-day gap before polling.

Also Read: EC Begins Process For Vice-Presidential Election After Jagdeep Dhankhar’s Resignation