New Delhi, India | August 19: Opposition parties in India have announced former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy as their joint candidate for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge confirmed the decision on Tuesday, calling the contest for the country’s second-highest constitutional office an “ideological battle.”
Justice Reddy, who served on India’s Supreme Court, was also the first Lokayukta (anti-corruption ombudsman) of Goa. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad.
The Opposition nominee is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday evening to meet with leaders of the INDIA bloc. He will file his nomination papers on August 21.
The election comes after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down last month citing health reasons, creating a vacancy for the post. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already named Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan as the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate.
This sets the stage for a high-profile contest between the government and opposition camps, as both push to demonstrate political strength ahead of upcoming state elections and the 2029 general polls.