New Delhi: The opposition’s vice-presidential candidate B Sudarshan Reddy Thursday filed his nomination for the elections to the second-highest office, and asserted the contest is not just about an individual, but reaffirming the idea of India where Parliament functions with integrity, dissent is respected, and institutions serve people with independence.
The former Supreme Court judge filed his nomination in the presence of top opposition leaders, including Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, TMC’s Satabdi Roy, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, CPI(M)’s John Brittas among others.
In a statement after filing his nomination, Reddy 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,” he said in a statement.
“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.
The vice president, as the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, carries the responsibility of safeguarding the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy, he noted.
“If elected, I pledge to discharge that role with impartiality, dignity, and a steadfast commitment to dialogue and decorum.”
Reddy submitted four sets of nomination papers before the Rajya Sabha secretary general, who is also the returning officer for the vice-presidential election.
As many as 160 MPs have signed as proposers and seconders. These include Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and other top leaders. Each set has 20 secondary proposers as well.
The returning officer scrutinised the nomination documents and handed over an acknowledgement slip to Reddy.
In a post on X, Kharge said, “As the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, the vice-president is tasked with upholding the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy. The candidature of B Sudarshan Reddy garu is a message to the tyranny unleashed by the Modi government on every institution.”
“Our joint opposition is determined to protect the ideas and values enshrined in the Constitution and fight this battle head-on,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi noted that Justice (retd) Reddy Garu filed his nomination as the INDIA bloc candidate for the vice-president of India at the Secretary-General’s Office in Parliament.
“The INDIA bloc stands firmly with him in this fight to uphold the Constitution and protect our democracy,” he said in a Facebook post.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the opposition was not focused on the vice-presidential poll results, but keen on sending out a message that this was a battle of ideologies, and the opposition candidate Reddy is a defender of the Constitution.
He said all parties should support Reddy and asserted the opposition will reach out to various parties to garner support for the distinguished jurist.
“Vice presidential elections are set to take place on September 9. From the government side, the candidate is of RSS ideology, and on the other hand, the joint candidate of opposition parties is a distinguished retired judge who believes in the Constitution, and secular and democratic principles,” Ramesh told PTI.
“The contest is not just between two individuals or for a post. It is a fight between two ideologies, and that is why we decided that we will definitely contest this election because we want to send a message to the country that this is not one-sided,” he said.
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.
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 also 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 vice-presidential candidate. Radhakrishnan filed his nomination on Wednesday.
The ruling party enjoys the support of at least 422 members, and non-INDIA bloc parties such as YSRCP have already announced support to Radhakrishnan.
Reddy, the first Lokayukta of Goa, is also on the Board of Trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad. He began his professional journey as an advocate focused on civil and constitutional matters in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Born in Akula Mylaram village in the Rangareddy district of present-day Telangana July 8, 1946, he completed his early education in Hyderabad and earned his law degree from Osmania University in 1971.
PTI
