New Delhi: Former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy was on Tuesday declared as the united Opposition parties’ candidate for the Vice-Presidential election scheduled on September 9 — an exercise described by Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge as an “ideological battle”.
“We are going to file the nomination on August 21,” said Kharge at a media briefing, adding that a strategy meeting of the Opposition parties will be held at the Central Hall of Parliament on Wednesday.
Kharge said that all the Opposition members agreed that the election is like an “ideological battle” and we must field a candidate for it.
Introducing Reddy as a “pro-poor and champion of economic and social cause”, Kharge said he represents the values which reflect our freedom struggle and on which our Constitution and democracy are based.
“Today, these values are under assault, and this is the reason that the Opposition decided to contest this ideological battle unitedly,” he said.
Reddy, who has practised law in Andhra Pradesh and served as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, was appointed as a Supreme Court judge in January 2007 and retired in July 2011.
He is pitted against the NDA’s VP candidate and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, whose candidature was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President JP Nadda on August 12.
The announcement of the Opposition parties’ VP candidate coincided with an NDA meeting during which PM Modi appealed to all MPs, including those in the Opposition, to elect Radhakrishan unanimously.
About Sudarshan Reddy
Born in July 1946, Justice Reddy presided over country’s constitutional courts for over 16 years.
He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 1995 and was later appointed as the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court on December 5, 2005.
He became a Supreme Court judge on January 12, 2007 and retired on July 8, 2011.
He was enrolled as an advocate in Hyderabad with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh on December 27, 1971.
The former top court judge worked as a government pleader in the high court during 1988-90 and also as additional standing counsel for Central government for six months during 1990.
He was a legal adviser and standing counsel for Osmania University.
Justice Reddy became the first Lokayukta of Goa in March 2013, but resigned within seven months, citing personal reasons.
He is also on the Board of Trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Hyderabad.
Vice presidential elections
The Vice Presidential election was necessitated by the mid-term resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who vacated the post citing medical reasons. However, his departure has sparked widespread speculation of underlying tensions between him and the government.
The VP is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. With a clear numerical advantage in Parliament, the NDA holds sufficient strength to ensure the victory of its chosen candidate.
The Vice President also serves as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, making the post politically significant.
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