Opposition vice presidential candidate and former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: On a nationwide tour to garner support, the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc’s vice presidential nominee Justice B Sudershan Reddy (Retd) on Friday said that he will write to all MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - cutting across party lines - seeking support for his candidature for elections to serve the second top constitutional post in the country.
“If given an opportunity to serve as Vice President, I will protect and defend the Constitution,” he said.
Justice Reddy’s statement came after he met leaders of Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi opposition including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar, state Congress President Harshavardhan Sapkal in Mumbai during the day-long trip.
Incidentally, he is pitted against BJP-led NDA alliance’s Vice Presidential nominee CP Radhakrishnan, the current Maharashtra Governor.
Justice Reddy thanked Thackeray and Pawar, the two key opposition leaders, for their support.
“I filed the nomination for Vice President on behalf of all opposition parties and everyone agreed. This consensus could not have happened without Thackeray’s support. Sanjay Raut was with me at the Central Hall and accompanied me to submit the nomination,” he said, stressing the importance of collective backing within the bloc.
“Miracles can happen,” said Thackeray hoping for Justice Reddy’s victory and appealed that those NDA MPs who have love for the country can vote for the Opposition candidate.
Pawar said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called him and sought support for the Vice Presidential nominee of the ruling party. “He called and said that the Maharashtra Governor is the NDA’s candidate for Vice President and we should support him, but we did not agree to it,” Pawar stated, making clear the MVA’s stand.
According to Justice Reddy, the outcome of polls is least important to him. "The elections, I am sure, will help maintain the dignity and status of institutions and preserve the respect of opposition in a democratic system," he said.