South vs South: Oppn names ex-SC judge Reddy as V-P pick

Former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy will be the Opposition’s candidate for the vice-presidential election, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Tuesday, pitching the September 9 poll as a battle between those who uphold the Constitution and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee CP Radhakrishnan began his political life.

- Saubhadra Chatterji

Justice Reddy's nomination is also a calculated move to push lawmakers from K Chandrasekhara Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi, YS Jaganmohan Reddy's YSR Congress, and N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party to vote for a Telugu-speaking public figure. To be sure, the TDP and the YSRCP reiterated their support for Radhakrishnan although there was no comment from the BRS.

“All Opposition 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, Whenever democracy and the Constitution are under attack, Opposition parties unite to fight against it. So we have decided to field a good candidate in this election," Kharge said.

Justice Reddy's nomination means that the vice-presidential election will be a battle between two candidates from southern India, a first for the position. In the 781-member electoral college comprising both Houses of Parliament, the NDA holds the edge with 425 votes.

HT had reported on Monday that the Trinamool Congress was pushing for justice Reddy.

"It is the parliamentarians who elect the vice-president. Political parties may sponsor the candidates. There is only one citizenship in this country. Myself and CP Radhakrishnan ji are Indian nationals. Whether it is South, North, East, West, nothing matters...," the former judge said.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi hailed justice Reddy's selection.