New Delhi: The opposition’s vice-presidential candidate, Justice (retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy, on Tuesday said he had accepted the INDIA bloc’s nomination “as an opportunity to propagate the ideals of the Constitution – equality, fraternity, liberty and dignity,” reported The Times of India.The 79-year-old former Supreme Court judge, fielded against NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan, recalled that his association with the constitution began in December 1971 when he entered the legal profession. “The bond with the book grew stronger as I became an HC judge, chief justice of an HC, and then a judge of SC,” he said.Asked why he chose to contest despite the NDA’s clear majority in Parliament, Justice Reddy told TOI, “What is wrong in accepting it? The INDIA bloc represents 60% of the country’s population and talks of ideals of the Constitution. As a lawyer, government advocate, as a judge and Chief Justice of a High Court and a Supreme Court judge, I had been doing the same.”He underlined that the vice-presidential election is unique in that no political party can issue a whip to its MPs. “I will appeal to MPs across political parties to compare my credentials with that of the NDA candidate and vote according to their assessment as to who would be the better person to become VP,” he said. Stressing the tone of his campaign, he added, “From my side it is going to be a decent and civilised discourse to seek votes.”Justice Reddy also described his rival as “a dignified and decent person” and made it clear he expected no “tu tu main main” during the campaign.Reacting to his remarks, AICC spokesperson Shri Anshul Avijit told The Wire: “Justice Reddy has spoken from the heart of the Constitution. By putting dignity and civility above political battles, he sets the tone for what leadership should mean in these times.”The vice-presidential elections will be held in India on September 9, 2025, following the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21. This election sets up a southern face-off between NDA nominee C.P. Radhakrishnan and INDIA bloc candidate Justice (retd.) B. Sudershan Reddy.Radhakrishnan, a two-time BJP MP from Tamil Nadu and former state party chief, is regarded as an organisational loyalist with deep RSS ties. Reddy, from Telangana, is a former Supreme Court judge known for landmark rulings on constitutional rights, transparency, and the disbanding of the Salwa Judum militia.