Dhankhar's surprise visit sent President house staff into a tizzy

NEW DELHI: Before he surprised political circles by announcing his resignation, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar alarmed Rashtrapati Bhavan officials by turning up to meet President Droupadi Murmu without an appointment.

The protocol-driven President's secretariat has not had to deal with such unexpected developments in a long time. Not surprisingly, the unscheduled arrival of the constitutional functionary at 9pm caused a flutter in the sedate office, with the ADC rushing to the military secretary to break the news of Dhankhar's presence in the premises.

After the hastily-arranged meeting with Murmu, Dhankhar, as required under the Constitution, submitted his resignation to her. He broke the news to the public on X at 9.25pm.

Dhankhar's unannounced visit was another indication of the sudden trigger that led to his resignation, as the day had been business as usual with no hint of the late-evening drama.

Home ministry notified Dhankhar's resignation on Tuesday. In a gazette notification signed by home secretary Govind Mohan, MHA said, "Resignation of Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice-President of India, is hereby published for general information."

In another development, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh called on Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. He had chaired the morning session's proceedings in Rajya Sabha.

Rashtrapati Bhavan also shared a picture of the meeting on X. "Harivansh, deputy chairman, Rajya Sabha, called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan," it said. However, no photo of the Dhankhar-Murmu meeting is in public domain.