A native of Andhra Pradesh’s Rangareddy district, Justice Reddy previously served as Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005, later becoming a judge of the Supreme Court in January 2007. He retired in July 2011 and subsequently served as the first Lokayukta of Goa. Compared to Radhakrishnan, who is currently the Governor of Maharashtra, Reddy does not appear to lack in experience, although his background is more legal than political. Following the announcement of Reddy’s candidature, a new slogan has emerged: the battle between NDA’s Radhakrishnan and the INDIA bloc’s Reddy is shaping up as a “South versus South” contest. On Tuesday, at an NDA meeting, CP Radhakrishnan appeared dressed in traditional Tamil attire rather than formal wear, subtly reflecting the BJP’s concerns about respecting Tamil Nadu’s regional identity through the selection of a Tamil OBC candidate. This Vice Presidential election has, therefore, become as much about Tamil pride as about parliamentary arithmetic. The Opposition, by fielding a respected jurist from Andhra Pradesh, seeks to create emotive and electoral dilemmas among several southern allies of both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. Numerically, the BJP holds a clear advantage in both Houses of Parliament. Out of the total 782 members eligible to vote, a minimum of 392 votes is required for victory. The NDA currently holds 293 seats in the Lok Sabha and 133 in the Rajya Sabha—giving it a definite upper hand in the Vice Presidential election. While the Opposition is fully aware of its limited chances of winning, it has nevertheless fielded a candidate who, although lacking political experience, possesses a distinguished legal background. This has transformed the election into not only a regional contest but also an ideological battle – pitting a jurist with no RSS links against a BJP nominee deeply rooted in the party’s ideological mentor, RSS. As per the schedule announced by the Election Commission of India, the last date for submitting nominations is 21 August, followed by scrutiny on 22 August. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures is 25 August, and polling will take place on 9 September.
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