Southern showdown

The Radhakrishnan-Reddy contest will not alter the power balance in Delhi, but its significance is symbolic and strategic

- BY PRATUL SHARMA

JUSTICE B. SUDERSHAN REDDY, former Supreme Court judge, has stepped out of retirement for another fight. Though the numbers are against him in the vice presidential polls, his candidacy is expected to carry a message for the opposition, which has framed the midterm contest as an ideological battle.

The 2025 vice presidential race has shaped up as a southern face-off, reflecting the region's growing national importance. The ruling National Democratic Alliance has fielded veteran BJP leader C.P. Radhakrishnan, a two-time MP and former president of the party's Tamil Nadu unit. He was also governor of Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Known for his RSS and Jana Sangh background, Radhakrishnan is regarded as a committed party worker with strong organisational skills.

By nominating him, the BJP underscores its focus on South India, especially with Tamil Nadu and Kerala assembly polls ahead. The move also blunts the opposition's rhetoric of a north-south divide after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls—a debate set to flare up again once the delimitation exercise grants northern states more parliamentary seats on the basis of population.

Radhakrishnan’s OBC background also helps the party underline its social outreach strategy, especially after it pre-empted the opposition’s demand for a caste census by announcing it alongside the decennial census. “The BJP’s nominee has been a long-standing politician with vision, commitment and dedication. He belongs to Tamil Nadu, which is a symbol of our ancient cultural heritage,” said BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal.