Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation has set in motion a range of things.

The Election Commission on Wednesday said it has begun the process of holding the vice presidential election and has started constituting the electoral college comprising MPs of both Houses of Parliament. The poll panel said it is also finalising returning officers for the election. “On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule will follow as soon as possible,” the EC said.

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The Indian Express spoke to several Opposition parties on their move forward. While they said there will “definitely” be a candidate when the election happens, they are waiting to see how the government responds to the situation.

“We are waiting for the ruling side to make the next move. Once they pick a candidate, we will also discuss what has to be done,” a CPI(M) MP said.

Numbers wise, the BJP-led NDA has the edge.

The total strength of the two Houses in Parliament together is 787 and the winning candidate needs at least 394 votes to be elected, if all eligible voters cast their votes. As numbers stand, the BJP-led NDA has 422 MPs.

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In the 542-member Lok Sabha, the NDA enjoys the support of 293 members. In the Rajya Sabha, where the effective strength is currently 245, the ruling alliance has the support of 129 MPs, counting the nominated members who are likely to vote for the NDA nominee.

Meanwhile, the process of removal of Justice Yashwant Varma will be set in motion in the Lok Sabha with Speaker Om Birla expected to soon announce the constitution of a statutory committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal of the judge is sought, The Indian Express has learned.

Birla and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh met Wednesday with Secretaries General of both the Houses and the officials discussed the modalities to finalise the procedure. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also joined the meeting later.

The discussions took place on a day the Supreme Court said it will set up a bench to hear Justice Varma’s plea challenging the legal validity of the in-house inquiry committee which confirmed charges of recovery of unaccounted cash from his official residence in Delhi.

This comes in the shadow of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s surprise resignation Monday evening and, as The Indian Express reported Tuesday, hours after his decision to accept the Opposition’s notice on Justice Varma had rubbed the government the wrong way.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Wednesday said it would constitute a bench to hear Justice Varma’s plea seeking to invalidate a report by an in-house inquiry panel, which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. Justice Varma has also sought quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna urging Parliament to initiate impeachment against him.

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Revanth Reddy in Delhi

Another conversation is playing out in the national capital. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is set to meet senior Congress leadership Wednesday to make a detailed presentation of Telangana’s caste survey model before the Congress MPs at Indira Bhawan on Thursday.

The presentation is expected to outline the methodology and findings of the comprehensive exercise.

During the visit, Reddy is also likely to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to discuss various matters related to the party and governance.

The Telangana government’s caste survey has been positioned as a significant policy initiative, with the state leadership keen on sharing its experience and learnings with the broader party organisation ahead of similar exercises being considered in other states.

The Congress has been pushing for the Telangana Socio Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste survey to be a template for the next Census in the country. At present, a three-member expert committee constituted by the A Revanth Reddy-led Congress government is studying the relative backwardness of different communities. This, the party believes, could help in tailoring policies and schemes for communities based on their specific needs.

— With PTI inputs