NDA names CP Radhakrishnan, INDIA bloc fields Justice Sudershan Reddy for Vice President poll

IT Desk
New Delhi, August 19:
The Vice Presidential election on September 9 will see a contest between the NDA nominee, Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, and the Opposition INDIA bloc’s joint candidate, former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy.
The BJP-led NDA announced Radhakrishnan’s candidature on Sunday after a meeting of the party’s Parliamentary Board in New Delhi. “We unanimously decided on CP Radhakrishnan as our Vice Presidential candidate after consultations with all alliance partners,” BJP president JP Nadda said.
Radhakrishnan, a senior BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, took charge as the Governor of Maharashtra in July 2024. He previously served as Governor of Jharkhand and also held additional charges as Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, he also served as Tamil Nadu BJP president.
The INDIA bloc, meanwhile, opted for a non-political figure. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced that Justice Sudershan Reddy, who retired from the Supreme Court in 2011, would be their joint nominee. Before his elevation to the apex court, Reddy served as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court and as a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Calling the contest an “ideological battle,” Kharge said all INDIA bloc parties had unanimously supported Reddy’s candidature. He described the former judge as “one of India’s most distinguished jurists” who upheld civil liberties, social justice and constitutional values in his judgments.
Kharge was joined by DMK’s Kanimozhi, TMC’s Derek O’Brien and NCP’s Sharad Pawar while announcing the candidature. Though leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party were absent, O’Brien clarified that AAP was in agreement with the decision.
The election was necessitated after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, citing health reasons. The Election Commission has scheduled polling for September 9, with counting to take place the same day. The last date for filing nominations is August 21, while withdrawals are allowed till August 25.