B Sudarshan Reddy submits Vice-Presidential nomination backed by Congress

Opposition's vice-presidential candidate B Sudarshan Reddy on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the elections to the second highest office, and asserted the contest is not just about one individual, but about reaffirming the idea of India where Parliament functions with integrity, dissent is respected and institutions serve people with independence.

The former Supreme Court judge filed his nomination in the presence of top Opposition leaders, including Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, SP leader Ramgopal Yadav, DMK's Tiruchi Siva, TMC's Satabdi Roy, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, CPI(M)'s John Brittas among others.

In a statement after filing nomination, Reddy vowed that if elected, he would discharge the role of 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," 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," he said.

The vice president, as the chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, carries the responsibility of safeguarding the highest traditions of parliamentary democracy, he noted.

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

Reddy submitted four sets of nomination papers before the Rajya Sabha secretary general, who is also the returning officer for the vice-presidential election.

As many as 160 MPs have signed as proposers and seconders. These include Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Dimple Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and other top leaders. Each set has 20 secondary proposers as well.

The returning officer scrutinised the nomination documents, and handed over an acknowledgement slip to Reddy.

A prospective vice-presidential candidate is required to get his nomination paper subscribed to by at least 20 electors as proposers and at least another 20 electors as seconders.

The electoral college for the vice presidential elections comprises members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha are also eligible to cast their votes.

The effective strength of the electoral college is 781 and the majority mark is 391.

The move to pick 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.

The ruling NDA has picked Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan, a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu with an RSS background, as its vice-presidential candidate. Radhakrishnan filed his nomination on Wednesday.

The ruling party enjoys the support of at least 422 members and non-INDIA bloc parties such as YSRCP have already announced support to Radhakrishnan.

Reddy, the first Lokayukta of Goa, is also on the Board of Trustees of the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre in Hyderabad.

He began his professional journey as an advocate focused on civil and constitutional matters in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Born in Akula Mylaram village in the Rangareddy district of present-day Telangana on July 8, 1946, he completed his early education in Hyderabad and earned his law degree from Osmania University in 1971.