INDIA bloc’s Vice Presidential candidate and former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, B. Sudershan Reddy, on Friday asserted that the Vice President’s office is a “high constitutional authority” and not a political institution. Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, he said the post demands qualities akin to those of a judge — impartiality, reasonableness, and fairness. Reddy stressed that the role of the Election Commission as an autonomous constitutional body is vital to uphold free and fair elections and recalled how the idea of universal adult franchise was embedded into India’s democratic framework even before the Constitution was enacted. “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. Confident about his prospects, he added that no party can issue a whip in the Vice Presidential election and highlighted the wide support he has received from MPs, civil society, and other groups.