New Delhi– Opposition candidate B Sudarshan Reddy on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election, flanked by senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.
Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge, submitted four sets of nomination papers before the Rajya Sabha secretary general, who also serves as the returning officer for the poll. Following the submission, the nomination documents were scrutinised, and an acknowledgement slip was handed over to him.
The filing was marked by a strong show of opposition unity. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav, DMK leader Tiruchi Siva, Trinamool Congress MP Satabdi Roy, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, and CPI(M)’s John Brittas were among the leaders present to extend support. According to opposition sources, as many as 160 MPs signed the nomination as proposers and seconders.
The Vice-Presidential election will be conducted by an electoral college comprising all members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, including nominated members of the upper house. The effective strength of this college is 781, with the winning candidate requiring at least 391 votes.
On the other side, the ruling NDA has fielded Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan as its nominee. He filed his nomination papers a day earlier on Wednesday. Backed by the BJP and its allies, the NDA candidate already enjoys the support of at least 422 MPs. In addition, non-INDIA bloc parties such as the YSR Congress Party have declared support for Radhakrishnan, giving him a clear edge in the numbers game.
The election is expected to be closely watched, not only for the outcome but also for the symbolic political messaging it carries at a time when both camps are trying to consolidate alliances ahead of future battles.
