"More than hopeful...fight for Constitution will continue" INDIA bloc nominee B Sudershan Reddy on winning VP elections

New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): Joint Opposition Vice Presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy has expressed hope about winning the elections that commenced on Tuesday morning in Parliament House.
"I am more than hopeful that I am going to win this election," Reddy told reporters here.
"I thank the people for the love I have got from, the response from civil society. I also thank the leaders on the opposing side," he added.
Reddy also dismissed any hopes of cross-voting, saying that he is only trying to "awaken people's conscious" and he does not expect any cross voting to happen.
"I am only trying to awaken people's conscience. I did not say that there would be cross-voting. I don't know what cross-voting is," he said.
When asked on NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan being confident in winning majority of votes, he retorted, "What else will he say? Will he say that I (Sudershan Reddy) will win? Is this a question?"
Reddy, a former Supreme Court judge said that he will continue to fight for the Constitution regardless of the result.
"This is a fight for (the Constitution), it will continue. My journey has begun with the Constitution," he said.
The voting for the 15th Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi exercising his franchise along with other prominent ministers and MPs. The counting of votes will also take place in the evening today. PM Modi was the first to cast his vote.
The election comes 50 days after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from his post as the Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.
Both the BJP-led NDA and opposition parties held mock polls ahead of the crucial day earlier, telling the MPs to be cautious in exercising their franchise lest their vote be invalid.
It seems that NDA's candidate CP Radhakrishnan has an edge with 427 MPs, well above the majority mark of 391, supporting him for the post. In the Lok Sabha, Radhakrishnan is expected to receive 293 votes, and 134 votes are likely to be cast in his favour in the Rajya Sabha.
Joint opposition candidate Reddy is backed by 354 MPs, with 249 in the lower house and 105 in the upper house of the Parliament.
Currently, the Parliament comprises 781 members, including 542 in the Lok Sabha with one seat vacant and 239 in the Rajya Sabha with five seats vacant.Biju Janata Dal (BJD) decided to abstain from voting in the Vice Presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will not take part in the Vice Presidential poll. Moreover, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced that it will "boycott" the Vice Presidential election, given that people in Punjab are "upset and angry" over no help from the central or state government. (ANI)