The Opposition’s INDIA bloc has nominated retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election on September 9.
INDIA bloc fields joint nominee
The decision, announced by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, followed several rounds of discussion among alliance partners. Justice Reddy will face the ruling NDA’s nominee, Maharashtra Governor and veteran BJP leader CP Radhakrishnan.
Kharge described the move as an “ideological battle”, saying all the Opposition parties had reached a consensus on fielding Reddy to challenge the BJP’s dominance.
Justice Sudershan Reddy: A distinguished legal doyen
79-year-old Justice Reddy has had a long and distinguished legal career. Starting as an advocate in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1971, he was appointed a judge of the same court in 1995. Subsequently, he went on to serve as the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005 before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2007. He served the apex court until his retirement in 2011, with one of his last cases being the influential Salwa Judum case. He was known for his progressive judgments and judicial integrity.
However, his legal career did not end there. Following the passage of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, Justice Reddy became the first Lokayukta of Goa in March 2013. Known for establishing a reputation for integrity and fairness, his tenure in Goa, albeit brief, set an example for transparency in governance.
‘Happy to be nominated by representatives of 60% of Indians’
While it is also a move to counter the BJP’s south game by fielding a candidate from Andhra Pradesh to contest against NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu, Justice Reddy’s nomination highlights the INDIA bloc’s focus on constitutional values and a pitch for judicial independence in the upcoming elections.
Speaking to the reporters after the announcement, Justice Reddy said he was “happy to be nominated by parties representing more than 60 per cent of the country’s population.” He added, “My job is to offer my candidature and appeal to all members of Parliament to consider it. No one can predict the outcome of any election. I do not indulge in astrology.”
When asked about the fact that both candidates hail from southern India, Reddy dismissed the notion of a regional divide. “Incidentally, both of us are from the South. India is one. We are Indians first,” he remarked.
BJP’s Tamil Nadu trap, INDIA’s Andhra move
INDIA bloc’s consensus candidate choice carries a political subplot. The BJP had sought to corner the INDI Alliance partner DMK by naming CP Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu for the Vice Presidency, thereby forcing the Dravidian party to take a stand on Tamil pride. INDIA bloc has turned the tables and aced the BJP at its own game by nominating an eminent jurist from Andhra Pradesh. With this, the Opposition accentuated the political equations between the BJP and its allies in the state.
The N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party, a crucial BJP partner and the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh, had already pledged support to the NDA candidate. But with an Andhra judge in the fray, the TDP faces uncomfortable questions over whether it will back a “local son” or stand by the BJP. The YSR Congress Party and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi also find themselves under similar pressure.
Crunching the numbers
The Vice President is elected by an electoral college of 782 MPs from both Houses of Parliament, with 392 votes required for a majority. With the NDA holding 293 seats in the Lok Sabha and 133 in the Rajya Sabha, the numbers appear firmly on Radhakrishnan’s side.
Even so, the Opposition’s decision to field a candidate is seen as a symbolic effort to showcase unity and deny the BJP a walkover. Analysts suggest the contest, however tilted, allows the bloc to keep pressure on the government amid debates over electoral fairness.
