New Delhi: The upcoming Vice-Presidential election is set for a high-stakes battle of ideology and numbers, as former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, filed his nomination on Thursday in a show of opposition unity.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and senior opposition leaders joined Reddy during the filing. A day earlier, INDIA bloc leaders had felicitated the retired judge, signaling full-throated support.
Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi said the contest was more than symbolic. “The Opposition has a duty to present an alternative vision of India. This is a responsibility bigger than ever before because the system has collapsed. We represent every state, language, and culture, and we are proud to back Justice Reddy in this battle,” he said.
Kharge, who announced Reddy’s candidature earlier this week, framed the election as an “ideological battle.” He described the ex-judge as a “courageous champion of social, economic, and political justice,” highlighting his pro-poor judgments and constitutional integrity.
On the other side, the ruling NDA’s candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan, currently Governor of Maharashtra, had filed his nomination on Wednesday, flanked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, and Amit Shah. Radhakrishnan’s candidature was proposed by Modi himself, with NDA allies including JD(U)’s Lalan Singh and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan present.
The Vice-Presidential seat fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on July 21, citing health reasons, on the very first day of the monsoon session. The Vice-Presidential poll is scheduled for September 9, with results to be announced the same day.
While the INDIA bloc is bracing for what it calls a battle of vision and principles, the NDA—armed with comfortable numbers—is widely expected to sail through.
