Not affiliated to any political party, says INDIA bloc VP nominee

New Delhi, Aug 20 B. Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc candidate, who is set to take on National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan in the Vice-Presidential election, slated on September 9, said on Wednesday that he is not affiliated with any political party.

“I am neither affiliated with any political party nor do I hold membership in any party,” Reddy said.

The former Supreme Court judge, while speaking to IANS, shared insights on his selection as the Opposition’s Vice-Presidential candidate and elaborated on how the second-highest constitutional office in the country must remain non-partisan and free from politics.

Justice (Retd) Sudershan Reddy’s name was announced by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge during a press conference on Tuesday, where he described the VP contest as an "ideological battle" rather than an electoral contest.

Corroborating Kharge’s claims, Reddy told IANS that the Opposition parties concluded after internal discussions that their candidate should not be from any political party, and this is how his name was finalised for the VP race.

“I am not affiliated with any political party. I don’t have any membership with any political party. I am a liberal constitutional democrat,” he said.

Further sharing his thoughts on the constitutional office of Vice President, he said that it is very important to be impartial and unbiased, as the chair demands the highest standards of probity and integrity.

Opposition candidate Sudershan Reddy is set to file his nomination for the high-stakes Vice-Presidential polls on Thursday. His nomination filing is likely to see a display of strength and unity by the INDIA bloc parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress and others as they seek to give the NDA candidate a tough challenge, despite lagging in numbers.

Meanwhile, the NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan filed his nomination papers in the capital on Wednesday and was flanked by top NDA ministers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The high-voltage clash for the Vice President post also has a South link, as both hail from Southern states. NDA candidate Radhakrishnan has a strong Tamilian root, while B. Sudershan hails from Andhra Pradesh.

Justice (Retd) Reddy is best remembered for his 2011 landmark judgement in which he declared the Salwa Judum militia of Chhattisgarh as unconstitutional, leading to its disbanding in the fight against the Maoists.

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