VP poll: Telangana CM in Delhi to mobilise support for Sudershan Reddy
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy Hosts Breakfast for Congress MPs in Delhi Ahead of Vice-President Polling
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy is making waves in New Delhi as he rallies support for the INDIA bloc’s Vice-President candidate. On Tuesday, he treated Congress MPs from Telangana to a special breakfast meeting right before they headed to vote in the high-stakes Vice-Presidential election.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Revanth Reddy shared some key guidance with the MPs to help them make their votes count. He arrived in the national capital late Monday night, ensuring he’s right there for this crucial polling day.
Why the big push? The INDIA bloc’s candidate, B. Sudershan Reddy, hails from Telangana, so CM Revanth Reddy is personally stepping up to drum up last-minute backing. Reports say he’s even reaching out to MPs from parties outside the INDIA bloc to sway them.
This election pits Sudershan Reddy, a respected former Supreme Court judge, against NDA’s C. P. Radhakrishnan in a straight contest. Revanth Reddy played a major role in picking Sudershan Reddy as the candidate. Remember, this judge led the Independent Expert Working Group that the Telangana government set up to study caste survey data. In July, the group handed over its detailed report straight to the Chief Minister.
Sudershan Reddy also joined Revanth Reddy last month when the CM presented the Telangana caste survey findings to big Congress leaders like Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
In a heartfelt appeal, Revanth Reddy urged political parties from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to back Sudershan Reddy, highlighting his Telugu roots. He even brought up the famous "Telugu self-respect" slogan from TDP founder and former united Andhra Pradesh CM N. T. Rama Rao. Revanth Reddy pointed to past unity when parties supported Telugu icons like former President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, ex-Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, and former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Sadly, his call didn’t win over many. Telangana’s main opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), with four Rajya Sabha members, decided to skip the vote altogether. TDP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena, now allied with BJP at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, stick with the NDA. Even the opposition YSR Congress Party is supporting Radhakrishnan.
On Congress’s side, the party has eight Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha members from Telangana, but zero representation from Andhra Pradesh in Parliament. As the votes roll in, all eyes are on whether Revanth Reddy’s efforts can tip the scales for Sudershan Reddy in this Telangana Vice-President election battle.
