Ex-Judge B Sudershan Reddy Named INDIA Bloc Veep Candidate

Former Supreme Court judge Sudershan Reddy has been named the INDIA bloc’s candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.

The announcement sets the stage for a contest between Reddy, the opposition’s nominee, and CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA’s candidate. Announcing the INDIA bloc’s candidate, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “This vice-presidential contest is an ideological battle, and all the opposition parties agreed on this, and this is the reason we have nominated B Sudershan Reddy as the joint candidate."

Kharge noted that Reddy is one of India’s most distinguished and progressive jurists, adding that he has had a long and eminent legal career, including as judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court, and Judge of the Supreme Court.

Born in Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district, Reddy started his career as an advocate in 1971 and went on to practise in the Andhra Pradesh High Court. He was appointed as a high court judge in 1995 and then became the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court in 2005. The eminent jurist was appointed a Supreme Court judge in January 2007 and retired in July 2011. Thereafter, he also served as Goa's first Lokayukta.

NDA have an edge

Going by the numbers, the BJP appears to have an edge in the Vice Presidential election. The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The current electoral college, excluding the vacancies, has 782 members. This means that the winning side needs to have at least 392 votes.

The NDA has 293 seats in the Lok Sabha and 133 in the Rajya Sabha. Going by the numbers, the BJP will comfortably put CP Radhakrishnan in the Vice President post. Only if a group of NDA members rebel and vote for the Opposition pick can the tables turn. At this point, such a surprise seems unlikely.