Overview

• Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced B. Sudarshan Reddy as the joint opposition nominee, with his nomination to be filed on August 21.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged a unanimous election for CP Radhakrishnan, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ramped up cross-party outreach to leaders including M. K. Stalin and Naveen Patnaik.
• YSRCP has declared support for Radhakrishnan and TDP leaders reaffirmed backing for the NDA pick, reinforcing projections that the ruling alliance holds roughly 422 votes to the opposition’s near-300 in an electoral college of about 780 MPs.
• Voting is scheduled for September 9 by secret ballot under the single transferable vote system, and the winner will serve as Rajya Sabha chairperson.
• Radhakrishnan is a veteran BJP leader from Tamil Nadu and the sitting Maharashtra Governor, while Reddy is a retired Supreme Court judge known for landmark rulings; both nominees bring southern profiles to the race.