Former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc's nominee for the Vice-Presidential election, officially filed his nomination on Thursday, August 21, 2025, setting the stage for a contest against NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan. The Vice Presidential election is scheduled for September 9, 2025.
Reddy submitted his nomination papers in the presence of prominent INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi. Other notable figures present were NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
After filing his nomination, Reddy conveyed a sense of humility and a firm dedication to the values enshrined in the Constitution. He also expressed his hope that "everyone will support me".
The INDIA bloc's decision to nominate Reddy, a respected figure with a long and distinguished legal career, is viewed by some as a strategic move. Sources suggest that his apolitical image and roots in the South could potentially unite opposition parties and put regional allies in a difficult position. By nominating a candidate with "great credibility outside the political sphere," the opposition aims to challenge parties like Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Reddy has had a long association with the TDP. During his legal career in the 1980s and 1990s, he was closely associated with Chandrababu Naidu, who was then the second-in-command of the TDP government. Reddy represented several universities and handled departmental legal matters for the TDP administration, giving him deep familiarity with Andhra politics.
Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, described the Vice-Presidential contest as an "ideological battle". He emphasized the unity of the opposition parties in their decision to field a common candidate, stating it was "a big achievement for democracy". Kharge asserted that opposition parties unite to fight whenever democracy and the Constitution are under attack.
B. Sudershan Reddy's career includes serving as a Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court, and Judge of the Supreme Court. He began his legal career in 1971 and served as a Government Pleader for the Andhra Pradesh government from 1988 to 1990. He was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 1995.
Reddy has also been involved in various social issues. In 2024, he was among a group of retired judges who urged the government to cancel all licenses for arms exports to Israel. He led an expert group for the Telangana caste census.
The Vice-Presidential election will be held on September 9, 2025. The electoral poll will be conducted in Parliament House. Only members of parliament cast ballots, and each one carries one vote.
