With VP Polls On Horizon, How One Vote Blocked KR Narayanan's Unopposed Win In 1992
Out of the 16 Vice Presidential elections held in India so far, four were uncontested—1952, 1957, 1979, and 1987. The 1992 election might have joined that list if not for Kaka Joginder Singh, a perennial candidate famed for contesting and losing over 300 polls.
Singh, famously dubbed 'Dharti Pakad" for his habit of filing nominations across the country only to lose, contested the 1992 Vice Presidential polls and secured a solitary vote. As a result, KR Narayanan, the candidate of the ruling Congress party, was technically not elected unopposed, even though he won 700 of the 701 valid votes.
The Election of 1992
Narayanan and Joginder Singh were the only candidates for the 1992 Vice Presidential election. Out of 790 electors, 711 (90.00%) voted. With ten votes found to be invalid, there were 701 valid votes.
Narayanan secured 700 out of 701 valid votes—more than double the quota of 351—while Singh got just one.
Though there's no official count, Joginder Singh is believed to have contested around 310 elections in India—from the presidency to the Lok Sabha. He lost every single one before passing away in 1998.
2025 Election
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday issued a booklet titled 'Election to the Office of Vice-President of India, 2025", which elucidates all notable aspects of this election in a simple and accessible format.
Aimed at enhancing public awareness about the upcoming 2025 Vice Presidential Election—necessitated by the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar last week—the booklet lays out the key constitutional and procedural elements.
The poll body is mandated to conduct the election to the office of the Vice President of India 'as soon as possible" after the vacancy arises.
The ECI explained that the newly elected Vice President will be entitled to hold the post for a full five-year term from the date of assuming office.
'The Vice-Presidential Election significantly differs from the more commonly known elections to the House of People and State Legislative Assemblies in terms of the electorate involved, eligibility of candidates, the system of voting, the counting of votes and the legal provisions that govern the election, to name a few," the ECI stated.
The booklet broadly covers the constitutional provisions relating to the Vice Presidential election, the composition of the electoral college, candidate eligibility, nomination rules, framing of the election schedule, appointment of the returning officer and assistant returning officers, poll venue, system of voting, counting method, and procedures for resolving disputes.
It also includes brief notes on all 16 Vice Presidential elections held between 1952 and 2022.
The Journey of 16 elections
The upcoming 2025 election will be the seventeenth. Earlier elections to this office were held in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022.
Details shared in the 28-page booklet show that only four of the 16 elections for the post of Vice President have been won without a contest. Two-time Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was elected unopposed in 1952 and 1957.
In 1952, Janab Shaik Khadir Hussain from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh filed a nomination, but his papers were rejected—leaving Radhakrishnan as the sole candidate.
The first contested election for the post occurred in 1962 when Dr Zakir Hussain faced NC Samantsinhar.
Hussain secured 568 votes—276 more than the required quota. Samantsinhar received only 14 votes. With a victory margin of 554, this is the second VP election with the highest margin after 1992.
In 1967, VV Giri was elected with 483 votes. He resigned in 1969 to contest the Presidential election. That year's Vice Presidential election saw the highest number of candidates—six. GS Pathak won with 400 first-preference votes.
The 1979 election also saw Mohammad Hidayatullah declared elected unopposed.
The 1987 election also saw a Vice President elected unopposed. According to the ECI document, 27 candidates filed nominations, but on scrutiny, the returning officer found only one valid nomination—Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, then governor of Maharashtra. It was the last time a Vice President was elected unopposed.
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Since 2012, three Vice Presidential elections have been held—each with two candidates in the fray.
As India heads into its 17th Vice Presidential election, the ECI's new booklet not only demystifies the process but also recalls how even a single candidate—be it a front-runner or a footnote—can shape the narrative of Indian democracy.
About the Author
Nivedita Singh
Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She tweets @nived...Read More
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July 30, 2025, 08:00 IST
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