New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that his party will support INDIA bloc’s nominee B. Sudershan Reddy in the upcoming September 9 Vice Presidential election.

Owaisi said that he received a request from the office of Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to extend support to the retired Supreme Court judge, pitted against incumbent Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan (NDA nominee) for the post of Vice President.

Taking to X, the Hyderabad MP wrote: “@TelanganaCMO spoke to me today and requested that we support Justice Sudershan Reddy as Vice President. @aimim_national will extend its support to Justice Reddy, a fellow Hyderabadi and a respected jurist. I also spoke to Justice Reddy and expressed our best wishes to him.”

Former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy was on August 19 declared as the united Opposition parties’ candidate for the Vice-Presidential election — an exercise described by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge as an “ideological battle”.

Introducing Reddy as a “pro-poor and champion of economic and social cause”, Kharge had said that he represents the values which reflect our freedom struggle and on which our Constitution and democracy are based.

“Today, these values are under assault, and this is the reason that the Opposition decided to contest this ideological battle unitedly,” he said.

Reddy, who has practised law in Andhra Pradesh and served as the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, was appointed as a Supreme Court judge in January 2007. He retired in July 2011.

Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan’s name was Vice President candidate was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President J.P. Nadda on August 12.

The Vice Presidential election was necessitated by the mid-term resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who vacated the post citing medical reasons.

The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. With a clear numerical advantage in Parliament, the NDA holds sufficient strength to ensure the victory of its chosen candidate.

The Vice President also serves as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, making the post politically significant.

–IANS

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