Vice President

Published on 16 Jan 2025

The office of Vice President is the second highest constitutional office after the President of India and is also the ex officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The vice president is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of the Parliament by a system of proportional representation using single transferable votes.

Criticisms regarding the office of Vice President

• Ceremonial nature of the office: The Vice President’s office has limited powers and lacks substantial authority which questions the relevance of the office.

• Example: The Indian Vice President is not part of the cabinet and hence has limited decision-making power. While in the USA, the Vice President is often part of the cabinet and has an active advisory role.

• Not a successor to the President: The Vice President can only be a President when the President is absent and during vacancy can hold the office for a maximum of 6 months, within which a new President shall be elected.

• Example: While the Vice President in India can only occupy the President's office for 6 months, the Vice President of the USA serves as the President for the remaining term during events of vacancy.

• Lack of discretionary powers: The President has certain discretionary powers which empower the office while no such powers are given to the Vice President.

• Political partisanship: Since the Vice President also represents a political party, it's very difficult for him to stay politically neutral.

• Example: The Vice President can be removed by a party dominating both the houses and hence can affect the independent role of the office.

• Not a member of the house: Since the Vice President is not a member of the Parliament, he cannot vote in the Rajya Sabha when a motion is pending for his removal. The person also cannot head a joint committee as he is not a member of the house.

• Lack of accountability: The election to the post is indirect which reduces the public connection with the Vice President. The absence of direct elections reduces the legitimacy and power of the office in a democracy like India.

• Example: US Vice President is directly elected by the people, and this gives the office more power, prestige and legitimacy.

Thus, the office of Vice President has limited powers, but it must be looked at from the point of view that India has a Parliamentary system where the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister is the real decision-making authority. The limited powers of the Vice President when compared to the counterparts in nations like the USA is a reflection of divergence in the political system adopted by different nations and this in no way lowers India’s administrative capability.

Tags:
Polity

Keywords:
Vice President ex officio chairperson of the Rajya Sabha powers of vice president criticism of the office of vice preisident

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 2

Topics:
Parliament and State Legislatures