Why Opposition's Veep Choice Places Key BJP Ally In A Tricky Spot

The INDIA opposition bloc's announcement of Justice (retired) B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the Vice Presidential election is an attempt to turn the tables after the BJP put INDIA ally DMK in a spot by naming a Tamil -- veteran BJP leader CP Radhakrishnan -- as its pick for the country's second-highest constitutional post.

The Opposition's move creates a dilemma for the N Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party, a key ally of the BJP at the Centre. The TDP leadership, which has already announced support for the NDA candidate, now faces the question the DMK faced -- will it vote against the local candidate and stick to the NDA brief?

Mr Reddy is from Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district and has worked as a lawyer in the past. He was appointed an Andhra Pradesh High Court judge in 1995 and became the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court in 2005. He was appointed a Supreme Court judge in January 2007 and retired in July 2011. Thereafter, he also served as Goa's first Lokayukta.

Earlier, the NDA's choice of CP Radhakrishnan, currently the Maharashtra Governor, had created a dilemma for the MK Stalin-led DMK. Tamil pride is an emotive issue in the southern state and the BJP pressured the DMK to move beyond politics and back the NDA pick. DMK, however, said the BJP's choice must be viewed politically, not through the prism of language.

Now, the TDP faces a similar question. The N Chandrababu Naidu-led party is a key ally of the BJP in the Centre and is currently in power in Andhra Pradesh. Nara Lokesh, Mr Naidu's son and state minister, recently met Mr Radhakrishnan and congratulated him on being chosen as the NDA's Vice Presidential pick. This afternoon, after the INDIA bloc made the announcement, Mr Lokesh tweeted: "No ambiguity - only warmth, respect, and resolve. The NDA stands united." Nonetheless, the Opposition is going to use this political opportunity to pressure TDP.

With the Opposition announcing its choice, the TDP faces a question: Andhra judge or Tamil politician? Sticking to NDA script will provide ammo to the TDP's rivals to launch political attacks. Besides the TDP, two other parties face a similar question: the Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP and the K Chandrashekar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi now have to decide whether to back the NDA or the INDIA pick. YSRCP, though, has said it will support the NDA candidate.

Going by the numbers, the BJP appears to have an edge in the Vice Presidential election. The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. The current electoral college, excluding the vacancies, has 782 members. This means that the winning side needs to have at least 392 votes.

The NDA has 293 seats in Lok Sabha and 133 in Rajya Sabha. Going by the numbers, the BJP will comfortably put CP Radhakrishnan in the Vice President post. Only if a group of NDA members rebel and vote for the Opposition pick can the tables turn. At this point, such a surprise seems unlikely.

The Opposition's move to force a contest is largely an optics game to ensure that the BJP does not get a walkover. A contest, however tilted, will provide the Opposition to showcase its unity at a time when it is pushing hard to corner the government on the issue of alleged poll irregularities.

There is another message that the Opposition wants to send. By choosing a non-political candidate for the top post, the INDIA bloc is looking to set up the September 9 election as a larger ideological battle at a time when it is accusing the ruling BJP of misusing institutions such as the Election Commission. Despite the BJP advantage, the Opposition's choice has undoubtedly spiced up the Vice Presidential poll fight.