Overview

• Opposition nominee and former Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy met Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, with MVA leaders pledging support.
• Five Left parties issued a joint appeal backing Reddy, calling the contest a defence of constitutional democracy and India’s syncretic culture.
• Sharad Pawar criticized NDA candidate C. P. Radhakrishnan over Hemant Soren’s arrest at Jharkhand Raj Bhavan, arguing the episode undermined institutional dignity.
• A victims’ group from Bastar urged MPs to reject Reddy, citing his 2011 Supreme Court ruling halting Salwa Judum as harmful to anti-Maoist efforts.
• Polling is scheduled for September 9 with results the same day, and the NDA holds a numerical edge in the 781-member electoral college.