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EYE ON INDIA AUGUST 29, 2025 | The Indian Eye 6

BATTLE FOR VP

CP Radhakrishnan vs Justice B Sudershan

Reddy in High-Stakes Election

India’s Vice-Presidential election on September 9 is shaping into a contest not just between two men—

CP Radhakrishnan and Justice B Sudershan Reddy—but between two competing visions of Parliament’s future.

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi
he Vice President’s office, often overshad-
owed by the executive-heavy nature of In-
Tdian politics, has rarely been so politically
charged. With the Vice President doubling up as
the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the
role carries deep institutional weight. In an era of
heightened parliamentary polarization, the upcom-
ing election offers more than a ceremonial choice—
it represents two distinct political statements.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) has fielded CP Radhakrishnan, a veteran
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Tam-
il Nadu, known for his long association with the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and his ad-
ministrative stints as Governor of Jharkhand, Tel-
angana, and Maharashtra. His candidacy, endorsed
enthusiastically by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, INDIA alliance Vice-Presidential nominee, former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy in conversation with Lok Sabha
signals continuity and consolidation of the NDA’s LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, and party President Malikarjun Kharge (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
grip on Parliament’s functioning.
On the other side, the opposition INDIA bloc
has rallied behind Justice B Sudershan Reddy, a debate and shrinking space in Parliament, Rad- opposition calls “misuse of parliamentary majori-
retired Supreme Court judge known for his juris- hakrishnan’s presence is expected to ensure that ty” under the BJP. The challenge, however, lies in
prudence, progressive rulings, and recent inter- the ruling party retains a firm but controlled hand numbers: with the NDA commanding a majority in
ventions in issues of democracy and social justice. over Rajya Sabha proceedings. For the BJP, which Parliament, Reddy’s campaign is more about polit-
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called his prizes order and predictability, his candidacy rep- ical messaging than arithmetic victory.
nomination an “ideological battle,” framing it as a resents continuity. At its core, this election is about the Rajya
stand for fairness, impartiality, and the dignity of If Radhakrishnan is the face of establishment Sabha’s character. Opposition leaders argue that
the Rajya Sabha. continuity, Justice Reddy represents disruption— the Upper House, envisioned as a chamber of re-
Radhakrishnan’s selection reflects the BJP’s albeit through constitutionalism. A former Chief flection and federal balance, has increasingly been
strategy of blending experience, loyalty, and region- Justice of the Guwahati High Court and Supreme reduced to a rubber stamp. Bills of sweeping con-
al representation. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, a state Court judge until 2011, Reddy is remembered for sequence are often rushed without scrutiny, they
where the party has struggled to build an indepen- judgments rooted in rights-based interpretations of contend. In this context, Kharge frames Reddy’s
dent base, his elevation is also a symbolic gesture to law. His recent interventions on issues like electoral candidacy as resistance: “To decisively act against
southern India. Modi described him as a man of “ded- rolls in Bihar and the caste census in Telangana re- these transgressions in Parliament, the nation
ication, humility, and intellect,” with a career that flect a jurist unafraid of confronting political power. needs an impartial justice.”
began in the Jana Sangh era and matured through In his first remarks after nomination, Reddy The NDA, meanwhile, frames the election
parliamentary and gubernatorial assignments. rejected the notion of a “Radhakrishnan versus in terms of governance efficiency. Modi and his
As a two-time MP from Coimbatore in the late Reddy” contest, stressing that the Vice Presidency ministers project Radhakrishnan as a seasoned ad-
1990s, Radhakrishnan earned a reputation as a is not a political office. Yet, his statements—warn- ministrator who will “enrich our journey towards
steady parliamentarian. He chaired the Parliamen- ing that “universal adult suffrage is under serious national progress.” For them, the office of Vice
tary Standing Committee and played a role in scru- challenge” and praising Rahul Gandhi for not let- President is not about obstructing the majority’s
tinizing financial scandals, such as the Stock Ex- ting the “streets be silent”—place him firmly in the legislative will but about ensuring procedural order.
change scam. His tenure as governor was marked opposition’s ideological frame. Numerically, the NDA holds the upper hand.
by quiet administrative diligence rather than flam- For the INDIA bloc, Reddy’s candidacy is both With its parliamentary majority, Radhakrishnan’s
boyance, reinforcing the image of a grounded, dis- symbolic and tactical. By nominating a jurist with election looks almost certain. Yet, as in the presi-
ciplined party loyalist. no formal party background, they seek to count- dential race of 2022, the opposition views the con-
By nominating him, the NDA appears keen to er the NDA’s narrative of partisanship. Kharge’s test less as a fight for victory and more as an oppor-
avoid controversy and project stability. In a peri- insistence that Reddy embodies “fairness and im- tunity to underline ideological differences before
od when opposition leaders complain of curtailed partiality” positions him as a corrective to what the the 2026 general elections.

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