V-P's office not political institution but high constitutional body: INDIA bloc nominee

Guwahati: The Vice President's office is a high constitutional body and not a political institution, INDIA bloc's candidate for the position, B Sudershan Reddy, said here on Friday.

Reddy was in Guwahati, where he interacted with the media.

"It is not a simple political institution... The qualities required of a person who intends to sit in that office is akin to a judge -- impartial, reasonable and fair in your words, actions and deeds... This is my understanding of the office of the Vice President," Reddy told PTI here.

Asked about former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar's resignation before the end of his term, Reddy said that he would not like to comment on any individual, while asserting that the office is "high constitutional body and as is normally understood, not a simple political institution".

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is an autonomous constitutional body vested with the responsibility to hold free and fair elections in the country, he said during the media interaction.

"There is a saying that people of India first got the right to vote and then became citizens of the country, but now this has gone topsy-turvy," the former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court said.

He pointed out that even as the Constitution of the country was being drafted, the revision of the electoral rolls had begun, from September 1947.

"The idea of the universal adult franchise came in 1948 and by then, the electoral rolls were being drafted," he added.

He further pointed out that despite differences between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar on many issues, they unanimously agreed that there must be universal adult franchise and every citizen of the country must participate in the election process.

"Therefore, I believe that there can be no predesigned map to exclude any individual or group of individuals in the name of caste, community, religion, creed or gender from participating in an election," he said.

The electoral roll is the only document that does not talk about caste, community or religion, he said.

When asked about special intensive revision of electoral rolls, he, however, said that as the matter is "under discussion in the Supreme Court, it will be imprudent on my part to make any comment on it".

Regarding his prospects in the elections, Reddy said that the electoral college consists of members of Parliament -- both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha -- and "political head count is not a part of it, and no party can issue a whip directing their members in which manner they can exercise their franchise".

"The response that I have got from the members of Parliament, media, civil society and intellectual community, writers, thinkers, outstanding personalities from the field of culture, I am sure of my win," he said.

Reddy said that within a day of the INDIA bloc announcing his candidature, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with some other parties, and independent members extended their unconditional support to him.

He said that he was honoured to return to Assam, the "land of Maa Kamakhya, which was once my 'karmabhoomi', and that too on the occasion of the auspicious Teachers' Day".