Former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy chosen as Opposition’s Vice-President candidate

V-P election is an “ideological battle”, says Mallikarjun Kharge; political rationale is that Andhra, Telengana parties such as TDP, YSRCP, BRS will find it hard to vote against a Telugu-speaking candidates

Former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy is the joint Opposition candidate for the Vice-Presidential election, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced on Tuesday (August 19, 2025), describing the election for the country’s second-highest Constitutional office as an “ideological battle”.

“All Opposition parties have decided to have a common candidate; the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all Opposition parties have agreed on one name. It is a big achievement for democracy,” Mr. Kharge said at a joint press conference. “Whenever democracy and the Constitution are under attack, Opposition parties unite to fight against it. So we have decided to field a good candidate in this election,” he added.

The retired Justice Reddy, who arrived in the national capital on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) evening, was received at the airport by a delegation of Opposition MPs. On Wednesday (August 20, 2025) afternoon, the joint Opposition will hold a meeting in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament building, and the Opposition candidate will file his nomination on August 21.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is no longer part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has also extended its support to Justice Reddy’s candidature.

‘Ideological battle’

A former judge of the Supreme Court, 79-year-old Justice Reddy headed the Expert Committee for the Congress government’s recent socio-economic caste survey in Telangana. He was the first Lokayukta of Goa and is also on the Board of Trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad. Before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2007, he became a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995, and went on to become the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005.

Reading out the joint statement, Mr. Kharge said, “This vice-presidential contest is an ideological battle. The Opposition parties have nominated Shri B. Sudershan Reddy garu as their joint candidate since he reflects fully the values that shaped our country’s freedom movement so profoundly and the values on which our country’s Constitution and democracy have been anchored. All these values are under assault and therefore, our collective and determined resolve to fight this election.”

The Opposition is keen to project the contest between NDA nominee and Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan and the Opposition candidate Justice Reddy as a fight between a former BJP politician with roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the one hand, and a jurist on the other, who has championed the cause of the Constitution and social justice.

“A distinguished jurist and champion of justice, he represents the spirit of our Constitution - safeguarding people’s rights, equality and our Democracy. We stand united in this ideological battle and wish him all the very best,” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

Political calculus

Apart from ideology, there are other political calculations involved as well. If the NDA’s nomination of Mr. Radhakrishnan, a former BJP State chief in Tamil Nadu, makes it difficult for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to oppose him, the Opposition has countered with its strategy of Telugu pride, making it difficult for parties in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — the Telugu Desam Party, the YSR Congress Party, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi — to speak against Justice Reddy.

The Opposition choice has also made the vice-presidential election a South versus South contest.

The formal announcement was preceded by a meeting of top Opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar of his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of the DMK, Derek O’ Brien of the Trinamool Congress, M.A. Baby of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, at Mr. Kharge’s official residence. Congress general secretaries K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh, who played a key role in working out a consensus among Opposition parties, were present too.

Wide support

On Monday (August 18, 2025) evening, Opposition leaders had discussed several names, including former ISRO director Mylaswamy Annadurai, who was proposed by the DMK. However, Mr. Kharge spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin that evening to convey that a section of the Opposition believed that it would be reactive, as both Mr. Annadurai and Mr. Radhakrishnan come from the same Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. Mr. Stalin, as per sources, agreed to support Justice Reddy’s candidature.

To ensure the widest possible support, Mr. O’Brien met former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) morning to enlist the AAP’s support.

(With inputs from Sobhana K. Nair)