With retired Justice B. Sudershan Reddy’s candidature, the Opposition has checkmated the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) choice of C.P. Radhakrishnan from Tamil Nadu. It was rumoured that Radhakrishnan’s candidature was aimed at putting pressure on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to support a candidate from Tamil Nadu. Stalin has remained a strident critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP, and the NDA.
Justice Reddy was born in Akulamylaram village in Rangareddy district of undivided Andhra Pradesh. The district now falls in Telangana. Andhra Pradesh is ruled by the NDA’s Kutami alliance comprising the Telugu Desam Party, the Janasena Party and the BJP. The main opposition is Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party, followed by the INDIA alliance of the Congress Party, the CPI (M) and the CPI.
Also read: Justice B. Sudershan Reddy: Decoding INDIA Bloc’s choice for VP contest
In Telangana, the Congress Party is in the driving seat, with ally CPI. The main Opposition party is the Bharat Rashtra Samiti, followed by the NDA alliance of the BJP and the Janasena Party.
With Justice Reddy’s candidature, all four Telugu parties (TDP, YSRCP, Janasena, and BRS) will have to weigh their options carefully. Jagan had earlier announced his support for Radhakrishnan, but he now runs the risk of alienating his Reddy vote bank if he follows through. The BRS had said that it was undecided, but the UPA might have just taken that decision for them by nominating a son of the soil.
Andhra Pradesh has produced only one president to date—Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy (1977-1982). For Telangana, there is President Zakir Hussain (1967-1969), who was born in Hyderabad, though his family was from Qaimganj, Uttar Pradesh.
And between the two Telugu states, they have one vice-president—the 13th, M. Venkaiah Naidu. Will the Telugu parties back Justice Reddy and make that two?