‘Ideological Battle’: Oppn Unites Behind Former SC Judge Sudershan Reddy For Vice-Presidential Race

The Opposition on Tuesday (19 August) named former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy as its joint candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, setting the stage for a contest against the NDA’s nominee, Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan.

Voting will be held on 9 September, with nominations closing on 21 August.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced consultations with the INDI Alliance partners. "All INDIA bloc parties have decided to have a common candidate; the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all opposition parties have agreed on one name. It is a big achievement for democracy," Kharge said.

DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi described the choice as symbolic of a larger struggle. "This is an ideological fight. So the Opposition parties came together to select one candidate against the candidate who comes from an RSS background," she said.

She added, "The candidate the Opposition has selected is the one who respects the Constitution...Just because you (BJP) have a candidate from Tamil Nadu, doesn't mean you care about Tamil Nadu, Tamil language or values of the state..."

Reddy, born in 1946, began his legal career in Andhra Pradesh in 1971.

He became a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995, later served as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, and was elevated to the Supreme Court in 2007.

After retiring in 2011, he briefly served as the first Lokayukta of Goa in 2013.

His rival, 67-year-old Radhakrishnan, is a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and currently the governor of Maharashtra.

With the NDA commanding a clear majority in Parliament, Radhakrishnan's victory is widely anticipated, though the Opposition has framed the contest as a fight for constitutional values.

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