The Opposition has announced its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election scheduled for September 9. Former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy will contest against NDA’s nominee, CP Radhakrishnan. The announcement came on Tuesday, a week after the NDA declared its candidate. With both camps firmly backing their nominees, a high-voltage political contest is anticipated.
Opposition candidate Sudershan Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court and the first Lokayukta of Goa, was announced by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge said, “All INDIA bloc parties have decided to have a common candidate, and the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all opposition parties have agreed to one name. It is a big achievement for democracy.”
Last week, Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra with roots in Tamil Nadu, was nominated by the NDA. With a majority in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, the BJP-led alliance is confident of ensuring a smooth victory for its candidate.
The election is scheduled for September 9, with August 21 as the last date for filing nominations. The position fell vacant following the sudden resignation of former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who cited health reasons for stepping down.
The Parliamentary Board that finalised the nominee consists of JP Nadda, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Sarbananda Sonowal, BS Yediyurappa, BL Santhosh, K Laxman, Sudha Yadav, Satyanarayan Jatiya and Iqbal Singh Lalpura.
