Vice-Presidential candidate Sudershan Reddy seeks support in UP

Opposition INDIA bloc’s joint candidate for the Vice-President’s poll, B Sudershan Reddy, said that this election is not about victory or defeat, but about principles. He stressed that “some institutions are under question, and they must be brought back on track.”

On Tuesday (August 26), Reddy reached Lucknow, where he addressed Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) MPs, putting forth his views and seeking their support.

Meeting with Akhilesh

Meeting SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Reddy said that this effort would not have been possible without him.

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Prior to this, Reddy had met AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai.

While seeking support in Uttar Pradesh, he accused the BJP of trying to divide the Vice-Presidential election based on ideology. He reiterated that some institutions are being questioned and need to be restored. He also said that parties outside the alliance were also coming forward to offer help.

Speaking about his candidature, Reddy said that he was unanimously chosen as the Opposition’s candidate. His first stop in Lucknow was the Congress office, where he paid floral tribute to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

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After a meeting with Congress leaders, Reddy went to meet Akhilesh at the SP office. Following their meeting, both leaders held a joint press conference.

Akhilesh hopeful of Reddy's win

Akhilesh said that given the circumstances of this Vice-Presidential election, “there could be no better choice than a former judge.”

He added that Reddy had always fought for the Constitution, justice, law, rights, and ideology, and urged everyone to “vote with their conscience and support B. Sudershan Reddy.”

When asked about Union Home Minister Amit Shah raising questions about him, Reddy said that he had already answered those earlier and did not want to prolong that debate.

Akhilesh expressed hope that Reddy would win by a historic margin and take charge in the Vice-President’s office.

Reddy also met with SP MPs during his visit. He remarked that the Vice-President’s office is not a political one and assured that his journey with the Constitution would continue.

The event was attended by SP’s national general secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, Congress state president Ajay Rai, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, and several other SP and Congress leaders.

(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh)