Bhubaneswar: Amid BJP-led NDA’s efforts to build a consensus on Vice-President nominee, the INDIA bloc on Tuesday decided to field retired Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate in the upcoming election on September 9.
“All INDIA bloc parties have decided to have a common candidate, the decision has been taken unanimously. I am happy that all opposition parties have agreed to one name. It is a big achievement for democracy,” said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Justice Reddy, who was the first Lokayukta of Goa, is pitted against CP Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra and one of the tallest leaders of the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
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MORE ABOUT THE INDIA BLOC NOMINEE
Born in July 1946, he started his legal career after registering as an advocate with the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council on December 27, 1971. He served as a government pleader in the Andhra Pradesh High Court from 1988 to 1990 and briefly as additional standing counsel for the central government in 1990. He also acted as legal adviser and standing counsel for Osmania University.
He was appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 1995, and took charge as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court on December 5, 2005. He was elevated to the Supreme Court on January 12, 2007, and retired on July 8, 2011.
In March 2013, he became Goa’s first Lokayukta but resigned within seven months for personal reasons.
THE NUMBERS
The untimely Vice-Presidential election follows the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, officially over health concerns.
The total strength of the electoral college is 782 (542 Lok Sabha MPs and 240 Rajya Sabha members). To win, a candidate needs a simple majority of 392 votes, assuming full participation. The NDA holds a significant advantage with an estimated 422 votes in the electoral college.
