Qualifications for Election as Vice-President
VP qualifications under Article 66(3): citizenship, age 35+, Rajya Sabha eligibility, and the office-of-profit bar with its exceptions.
At a glance
Article 66(3) lists four qualifications a person must meet to be eligible for election as Vice-President of India.
Citizen of India, 35+ years of age, qualified for Rajya Sabha membership, and not holding any office of profit (with exceptions).
Ties Vice-Presidential eligibility to the Rajya Sabha rather than the Lok Sabha, the key point of difference from presidential qualifications.
VP qualifications laid down in Article 66(3) determine exactly who may stand for election to India's second-highest constitutional office, and they are noticeably narrower in one respect than the qualifications prescribed for the President.
The Four Qualifications
A person is eligible for election as Vice-President only if that person:
- is a citizen of India;
- has completed 35 years of age;
- is qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha (the Council of States); and
- does not hold any office of profit under the Union government, any state government, any local authority, or any other public authority.
The third condition is the distinctive one — it ties Vice-Presidential eligibility to the qualifications for the Rajya Sabha rather than the Lok Sabha, unlike the presidential qualification, which is linked to Lok Sabha membership.
The Office-of-Profit Bar — and Who Is Exempted
The fourth condition would, taken literally, disqualify many senior constitutional functionaries from contesting a Vice-Presidential election. The Constitution therefore carves out specific exceptions: a sitting President or Vice-President of the Union, the Governor of any state, and a Union or state Minister are not deemed to hold an office of profit for this purpose, and are therefore qualified to be candidates for the office of Vice-President despite holding these positions.
Comparing Presidential and Vice-Presidential Qualifications
| Qualification | President (Article 58) | Vice-President (Article 66(3)) |
|---|---|---|
| Citizenship | Citizen of India | Citizen of India |
| Minimum age | 35 years | 35 years |
| House-membership qualification | Qualified for election as a member of the Lok Sabha | Qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha |
| Office of profit | Barred, with the same category of exemptions | Barred, with the same category of exemptions |
Both offices thus share an identical age threshold and citizenship requirement, and both use a comparable office-of-profit exception for sitting high constitutional functionaries — the only substantive difference lies in which House's membership qualifications the candidate must otherwise satisfy.
An Ongoing Debate on Citizenship Qualification
The citizenship requirement for high constitutional offices, including the Vice-Presidency, has itself been a subject of policy debate. One set of recommendations has suggested that the eligibility of non-Indian-born citizens, or of persons whose parents or grandparents were Indian citizens, to hold offices such as President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of India should be examined through a wider political and national dialogue — an indication that the qualification criteria, though settled in the constitutional text, remain a live subject of discussion.
Qualifications in Practice — Recent Vice-Presidential Contests
The qualification bar has not prevented competitive, closely watched elections for the office. Recent contests illustrate the range of candidates who have met the Article 66(3) criteria:
| Year | Elected Vice-President | Votes secured | Runner-up | Votes secured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Venkaiah Naidu | 516 | Gopal Krishna Gandhi | 244 |
| 2022 | Jagdeep Dhankhar | 528 | Margaret Alva | 182 |
Who Superintends Eligibility and Conduct of the Election
The overall conduct of the Vice-Presidential election, including the electoral process, falls under the superintendence, direction, and control of the Election Commission under Article 324, the same body that conducts elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the office of President.
UPSC Relevance
Prelims
- The Vice-President must be qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha, not the Lok Sabha — a frequently confused point with the President's qualification.
- A sitting President, Vice-President, Governor, or Union/state Minister is not treated as holding an "office of profit" for Vice-Presidential eligibility purposes.
- Both the President and the Vice-President must be at least 35 years old and citizens of India.
Mains
- Evaluate the rationale behind linking Vice-Presidential eligibility to Rajya Sabha membership qualifications rather than Lok Sabha membership qualifications. (GS II)
- Discuss the debate around citizenship-based eligibility criteria for India's highest constitutional offices.
FAQ
Q1. What are the four qualifications for election as Vice-President? Citizenship of India, completion of 35 years of age, qualification for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha, and not holding any office of profit under the Union, a state, a local authority, or any other public authority.
Q2. Does a sitting Governor need to resign before contesting the Vice-Presidential election? No. A sitting Governor is not deemed to hold an office of profit for this purpose and is therefore eligible to be a candidate for Vice-President.
Q3. How does the Vice-President's qualification differ from the President's qualification? The main difference is the House-membership test — a Vice-Presidential candidate must be qualified for Rajya Sabha membership, while a presidential candidate must be qualified for Lok Sabha membership. The citizenship, age, and office-of-profit conditions are otherwise the same.
Q4. Which body oversees the conduct of the Vice-Presidential election? The Election Commission, under the superintendence, direction, and control vested in it by Article 324.
Quick Revision
- Article 66(3): citizen of India, 35+ years of age, qualified for Rajya Sabha membership, no office of profit.
- Office-of-profit bar exempts a sitting President, Vice-President, Governor, or Union/state Minister.
- Key difference from presidential qualification: Rajya Sabha eligibility (VP) vs Lok Sabha eligibility (President).
- Citizenship-eligibility criteria for high offices, including the Vice-Presidency, remain a subject of reform debate.
- Election Commission (Article 324) superintends the conduct of the Vice-Presidential election.
Sources
- The Constitution of India, Article 66(3) — legislative.gov.in
- The Constitution of India, Articles 58, 324 — legislative.gov.in
Further Reference
For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:
- M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
- D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
- The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.
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Constitutional provisions
Lays down the four qualifications for election as Vice-President: citizenship, age, Rajya Sabha eligibility, no office of profit.
Parallel qualifications for election as President — links eligibility to Lok Sabha membership instead.
Election Commission superintends, directs, and controls the conduct of the Vice-Presidential election.