Lucknow: INDIA bloc’s Vice Presidential candidate B. Sudarshan Reddy on Tuesday said he was confident of winning support beyond Uttar Pradesh and urged MPs to vote according to their conscience.
At the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow, Reddy shared the stage with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. “All SP MPs have extended their support to me. Our effort is to gain backing from other states too,” Reddy said.
The former Supreme Court judge said the Vice President’s office was a constitutional one, not political. “The opposition has shown faith in me, and I am grateful. I know even those outside the INDIA bloc are coming forward. But without Akhilesh Yadav’s support, this would not have been possible,” he said.
Reddy said he had recently met Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and M.K. Stalin in Chennai, while continuing talks with MPs on a daily basis.
Akhilesh Yadav, extending full backing to Reddy, said the election was being held in extraordinary political circumstances. “We are fighting a battle for justice — and who better than a judge to represent that cause. On questions of justice, rights and ideology, there could not have been a more suitable candidate,” Yadav said, adding, “I am confident MPs will listen to their conscience and vote. It is not about winning or losing — it is about doing the right thing.”
He accused the BJP of promoting people of a particular ideology to top constitutional posts. “We stand for inclusivity. That is why we have chosen Sudarshan Reddy as our candidate,” he said.
Reddy, who arrived in Lucknow earlier in the day, received a grand welcome with drums, slogans and party workers draping him in the SP’s trademark scarf. From the airport he visited the Congress office, paid tributes to Gandhi and Nehru, and held a meeting with Congress leaders before joining Yadav for the joint press meet.
