Former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy is Opposition's VP candidate

B Sudershan Reddy (Image:X)

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday announced former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as INDIA bloc's candidate for the Vice President post.

"B Sudershan Reddy is one of India's most distinguished and progressive jurists. He has had a long and eminent legal career, including as judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court and Judge of the Supreme Court," said Kharge as he announced the name at a press briefing in Delhi.

"He has been a consistent and courageous champion of social, economic and political justice. He is a poor man and many judgments if you read, will know that how he favored the poor people and also protected the Constitution and fundamental rights," the Congress President added.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said the decision on Reddy's name was unanimous and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), too, agreed to his name. Reddy will file his nomination on August 21, Thursday, Kharge said.

Born on July 8, 1946, Reddy was appointed the judge of the Supreme Court on January 12, 2007 and retired on July 8, 2011 after a four-year stint.

Before being nominated to the top court, Reddy, who enrolled as an advocate at Hyderabad with the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh on December 27, 1971, served as the chief justice of the Gauhati High Court for over a year.

Speaking to CNN-News18 post the announcement of his name, Reddy appealed to all the parties to extend their support to him and added that the aim is to uphold the constitution.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has nominated C Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra and veteran BJP leader, as its candidate for the upcoming vice presidential election. Radhakrishnan is expected to file his papers by August 19 evening.

Radhakrishnan, who has also served as Governor of Jharkhand and been twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Coimbatore, has over four decades of experience in public life.

His nomination is seen as both a recognition of his long-standing service and a strategic choice to boost the BJP's presence in South India, particularly Tamil Nadu, ahead of key elections.

The members of Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha will vote for the next vice-president on September 9.

The election had to be called after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned as the position on July 21, citing health reasons.