In a significant political development, former Supreme Court judge Sudarshen Reddy has been announced as the Opposition’s candidate for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election. The announcement was made by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, setting the stage for a political contest against the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Reddy will be contesting against the NDA’s nominee, CP Radhakrishnan. The election is scheduled to take place on September 9, with the last date for filing nominations set for August 21.
Last week, the BJP-led NDA had named 67-year-old Radhakrishnan, a veteran BJP leader and the current Governor of Maharashtra, as their pick for the Vice-Presidential post. He hails from Tamil Nadu.
While the BJP-led NDA holds a comfortable majority in the electoral college, which consists of Members of Parliament from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the opposition INDIA bloc has decided to field its own candidate to ensure a contest.
The vacancy for the Vice-President’s office arose after the incumbent, Jagdeep Dhankhar, tendered his resignation on July 21, citing health concerns. The election is a crucial political event, with both sides mobilizing support ahead of the vote.