Left parties seek support for Opposition's VP candidate Justice Sudershan Reddy

New Delhi: The Left parties of Friday issued a joint appeal seeking support for Opposition's joint Vice Presidential candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy, saying the electoral fight is not merely a battle of numbers but one to "safeguard" India's syncretic culture and to resist the BJP-led NDA government’s "ongoing attempts to undermine democracy and enforce authoritarianism".

The joint appeal was issued by General Secretaries M A Baby (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), Dipankar Bhattacharya (CPI-MLL), Manoj Bhattacharya (RSP) and G Devarajan (Forward Bloc).

They said the Left parties endorse the candidature of Justice Reddy , who is contesting the election on behalf of all the opposition parties. Justice Reddy is an "eminent jurist, widely respected for his unwavering commitment" to the core values of the Indian Constitution -- democracy, secularism, and equality.

"The Vice-Presidential election is not merely about numbers. It represents a contest between two fundamentally different perspectives on the future of India – whether our nation will continue as a constitutional democracy upholding secularism, or be reduced to a Hindutva authoritarian State," the joint appeal said.

"It is a battle to safeguard our syncretic culture and to resist the BJP-led NDA government’s ongoing attempts to undermine democracy and enforce authoritarianism through the misuse of Constitutional positions such as those of the Vice President, Election Commission, and Governors, among others," they said.

They asked all voters -- Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs -- to place the interests of the nation above all else, to recall the oath they have taken to protect the Constitution, and to cast their vote in favour of Justice Reddy.

Justice Reddy has met CPI(M) and CPI leadership separately.