The election to choose the next vice president of India is an ideological battle and the candidature of B. Sudershan Reddy is “a message to the tyranny unleashed” by the Narendra Modi government, the Congress said on Thursday as the clock ticked down to the poll.
“As the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, the Vice President is tasked with upholding the highest traditions of Parliamentary Democracy. The candidature of Shri B. Sudershan Reddy garu is a message to the tyranny unleashed by the Modi Govt on every institution. Our Joint Opposition is determined to protect the ideas and values enshrined in the Constitution and fight this battle head on,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, vowed that if elected he would discharge the role of vice president with impartiality, dignity, and a steadfast commitment to dialogue and decorum.
"Today, I had the honour of filing my nomination papers for the office of the Vice President of India as a joint candidate of the Opposition parties.I did so with a deep sense of humility, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in our Constitution," Reddy said in a statement.
"My life in public service – as a judge of the Supreme Court of India, as a student of law, and as a citizen rooted in the democratic traditions of this Republic – has taught me that the true strength of India lies in the dignity of every individual, the protection of constitutional morality, and the unity in our diversity," he said.
"This election is not merely about one individual. It is about reaffirming the idea of India as envisaged by our founders -- an India where Parliament functions with integrity, where dissent is respected, and where institutions serve the people with independence and fairness," Reddy said.
Reddy filed his nomination papers in the presence of Congress president Kharge, former AICC chief Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders of opposition parties.
The electoral college for the vice presidential elections comprises members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to cast their votes.
The effective strength of the electoral college is 781 and the majority mark is 391.
Reddy, the first Lokayukta of Goa, is also on the board of trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad.
The move to pick Reddy as a joint candidate of the Opposition has made the vice-presidential election a South versus South contest. The Opposition wanted to pick a non-political face as their nominee for the second-highest constitutional post in the country.
The ruling NDA has picked Maharashtra governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background, as its candidate. He filed his nomination on Wednesday.
