Opposition's VP Candidate Reddy Engages with Congress, SP Leaders

Lucknow, Aug 26 (PTI) - Opposition vice presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy will engage in discussions on Tuesday with leaders from the Congress and Samajwadi Party in Lucknow. These two parties are key constituents of the INDIA bloc. Reddy, known for his tenure as a Supreme Court judge, was greeted at the airport by enthusiastic Congress and SP supporters waving their respective flags.

The welcoming delegation included UP Congress president Ajay Rai, state in-charge Avinash Pande, and senior leader Pramod Tiwari. Reddy is scheduled to hold a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav later today.

The upcoming vice-presidential election on September 9 pits the ruling NDA candidate C P Radhakrishnan against the joint opposition candidate Reddy, marking a unique "south versus south" contest given both candidates hail from southern India. Radhakrishnan is a seasoned BJP leader from Tamil Nadu, while Reddy, originally from Telangana, is a respected former Supreme Court judge.

This election follows the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar and is being described by the opposition as an ideological battle, despite the numbers favoring the ruling National Democratic Alliance. B Sudershan Reddy (79), who retired from the Supreme Court in July 2011, is distinguished for his landmark judgments, including those firmly addressing the Union government's handling of black money investigations. He also ruled the Chhattisgarh government's Salwa Judum as unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, C P Radhakrishnan (67) has served two terms in the Lok Sabha representing Coimbatore during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's premiership and has led the BJP's efforts in Tamil Nadu. As the political landscape gears up for the upcoming vice-presidential election, both candidates bring extensive experience and regional influence to the forefront.