Who Is B Sudershan Reddy, Opposition’s Candidate For Vice President Polls

The Opposition INDIA bloc has picked former Supreme Court judge Justice B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election. He has been fielded against NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Maharashtra and one of the tallest leaders of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, for the September 9 election.

Here are 5 things to know about Justice Reddy (retd).

1. Justice Reddy (retd) was born on July 8, 1946, to a farmer family in Akula Mylaram village of then Ibrahimpatnam taluka in the Rangareddy district of present-day Telangana.  
2. He obtained a law degree from Osmania University in Hyderabad in 1971 and was enrolled as an advocate with the Andhra Pradesh Bar Council. He handled writ and civil cases in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
3. Before becoming a judge, he had worked as a government pleader in 1988-90. He briefly worked as Additional Standing Counsel for the central government in 1990 and was also the legal adviser and standing counsel for Osmania University.
4. He became a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1995. He was appointed the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005. He became a Supreme Court judge in 2007; retired in 2011.
5. In March 2013, Justice Reddy (retd) became the first Lokayukta of Goa. However, he resigned months later, in September, on personal grounds.

Justice Reddy’s name was announced at a press conference attended by top Opposition leaders. A Congress leader said that he was the unanimous choice agreed to by all Opposition parties.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge praised Justice Reddy as one of India’s most distinguished and progressive jurists with an eminent legal career. “He has been a consistent and courageous champion of social, economic, and political justice,” said Mr Kharge, hailing him as someone who favored the poor and protected the Constitution and fundamental rights.

The Vice President election will be held on September 9. The last date for submitting nominations is August 21. August 22 is the date for the scrutiny, and August 25 is the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures. The untimely Vice-Presidential election follows the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, officially over health concerns, though sources had later pointed out differences with the BJP that ought to have forced the senior Jat leader to an early exit.