Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 21: Former Supreme Court judge B Sudershan Reddy, the INDIA bloc’s nominee for the Vice-Presidential election, filed his nomination papers in New Delhi on Thursday in the presence of top opposition leaders.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accompanied him, along with Sharad Pawar (NCP-SCP), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Sanjay Raut (Shiv Sena UBT) and several others from the alliance.

Speaking ahead of filing his papers, Reddy stressed that the upcoming election was not about arithmetic but principles.

“It is the battle of ideology. I don’t belong to any political party, so I believe everyone would support me,” he said.

The Election Commission has scheduled polling for September 9, with counting on the same day. Nominations close on August 21, while withdrawals can be made until August 25.

The Vice President’s post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on July 21, citing health reasons, on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

As per constitutional provisions, the Vice President is elected by an electoral college of MPs from both Houses, through proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, with the process governed by Articles 64, 66 and 68 of the Constitution and the 1952 Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act.