Ranchi, Aug 30 (UNI) Opposition Vice-Presidential candidate Justice B Sudershan Reddy (Retd) today sought support from Jharkhand parties, casting his candidacy as a moral appeal to conscience and institutional dignity rather than a numbers game.
Reddy, backed by the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc, is pitted against the BJP-led NDA’s nominee and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan.
In Ranchi, he met Chief Minister Hemant Soren and senior leaders of the Congress and JMM.
Emerging from the meeting, Soren assured full support for the Opposition nominee, saying MPs should vote according to their conscience.
The meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s Kanke Road residence, drew key Congress and JMM leaders, including MPs Mahua Maji and Sukhdeo Bhagat, state Congress president Keshav Mahato and others. Their presence gave the campaign a local thrust, signalling Opposition unity in Jharkhand ahead of the September 9 election.
At a press conference after the meeting, Justice Reddy said he would write to all Members of Parliament and personally seek their support, regardless of affiliation.
“The outcome is not important to me. What matters is preserving the dignity of institutions and ensuring the Opposition’s place in a democratic system,” he said.
He added that the secret ballot provision in the Constitution allows MPs to act according to conscience.
Reddy also used his Ranchi stop to voice concern about the state of Indian democracy. Without naming the Centre, he referred to Soren’s recent arrest and subsequent acquittal by the Supreme Court.
“He was arrested and made to go to jail, striking at his dignity. To this day there is no answer why.
If such questions remain, what is the meaning of democracy?” he asked.
He warned that majority politics was being misused to impose “new narratives dangerous for democracy” and said constitutional duties were being overshadowed by the pursuit of power.
The Election Commission, he stressed, must uphold its role as an independent body.
Reddy insisted that his outreach would not be confined to the Opposition bloc.
“I will meet BJP leaders too if they permit. I am not calling for cross-voting, only asking MPs to listen to their inner voice,” he said, expressing confidence in support from leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu.
