B Sudarshan Reddy Files Nomination for VP polls

New Delhi: Opposition vice-presidential candidate B. Sudershan Reddy on Thursday filed his nomination papers in the presence of top Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Mr Reddy, a former Supreme Court Judge, submitted four sets of nomination papers before the Rajya Sabha secretary general, who is also the returning officer for the vice-presidential election. Before filing his nomination, Mr Reddy offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

INDIA bloc leaders, including NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, TMC’s Satabdi Roy, Shiv Sena(UBT)’s Sanjay Raut and CPI(M)’s John Brittas, were among the Opposition leaders present for the nomination.

As many as 160 MPs have signed as proposers and seconders for Mr Reddy. These include the Leaders of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Mrs Gandhi, Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, SP's Dimple Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav and other top leaders. Each set has 20 secondary proposers as well.

The returning officer scrutinised Mr Reddy’s nomination documents and handed over an acknowledgement slip to him.

In a statement after filing nomination, Mr Reddy vowed that if elected, he will discharge the role of the vice-president with impartiality, dignity and a steadfast commitment to dialogue and decorum.

"Today, I had the honour of filing my nomination papers for the office of the vice-president of India as a joint candidate of the Opposition parties. I did so with a deep sense of humility, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to the values enshrined in our Constitution," Mr Reddy said in a statement.

"This election is not merely about one individual. It is about reaffirming the idea of India as envisaged by our founders — an India where Parliament functions with integrity, where dissent is respected, and where institutions serve the people with independence and fairness," the Opposition's V-P candidate said.

"If elected, I pledge to discharge that role with impartiality, dignity, and a steadfast commitment to dialogue and decorum," Mr Reddy added.

The move to pick Mr Reddy as a joint candidate of the Opposition has made the vice-presidential election a south versus south contest. The Opposition also wanted to pick a non-political face as their nominee for the second-highest constitutional post in the country.

After filing his nomination, Mr Reddy went and met the AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in the national capital. After the meeting, Mr Kejriwal said, “Mr Reddy has performed excellently as a judge, which is why he is a candidate for the entire country.”

The AAP chief said: “Mr Reddy is Telugu. This is a matter of Telugu pride for the people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The political parties from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana should vote for the nation and Telugu pride."