Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will host opposition MPs for dinner at the Parliament annexe on Monday evening, as the INDIA bloc seeks to consolidate support ahead of Tuesday’s Vice-Presidential election.
The gathering is intended to project unity within the opposition and rally MPs behind their candidate, Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy, whose nomination has also drawn the backing of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
“@TelanganaCMO spoke to me today and requested that we support Justice Sudershan Reddy as Vice President. @aimim_national will extend its support to Justice Reddy, a fellow Hyderabadi and a respected jurist,” Owaisi wrote in a post on X.
Reddy, a former judge of the Supreme Court, faces a direct contest against CP Radhakrishnan, the National Democratic Alliance’s nominee. The polls on September 9 come weeks after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the Vice-Presidential office citing health concerns on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
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The Vice President is chosen through an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament. The contest is governed by Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution and conducted under the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952. As mandated by Article 66(1), the election will be held by proportional representation through the single transferable vote system and a secret ballot.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has already mobilised its MPs for the contest. Party president JP Nadda invited all members for a dinner at his residence on September 6, while a two-day workshop for MPs was convened at the GMC Balayogi Auditorium in the Parliament complex. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to host NDA MPs for dinner on September 8.
The election is expected to test the numerical strength of both sides and serve as a curtain-raiser to sharper political alignments in Parliament.
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