New Delhi, Sep 8 — The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday announced it will abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, reaffirming its policy of maintaining equal distance from both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the decision was taken after consultations with party president Naveen Patnaik, senior leaders, and the political affairs committee. “The BJD remains equidistant from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. Our primary focus is on the development and welfare of Odisha,” Patra told IANS.
The upcoming election will see NDA candidate and Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan contesting against retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, fielded by the INDIA bloc. The contest has gained importance following the surprise resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar last month.
Dhankhar, who took office in 2022 after serving as Governor of West Bengal, stepped down on July 21 citing health reasons. His resignation, submitted under Article 67(a) of the Constitution, took effect immediately.
Ahead of the poll, the BJP organised a ‘Sansad Karyalaya’ session to guide its MPs on voting procedures, while Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is set to host a dinner meeting this evening for INDIA bloc MPs at the Parliament Annexe.
Voting is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by counting at 6 p.m. Members of both Houses of Parliament — 543 elected MPs of the Lok Sabha (with one vacancy) and 245 members of the Rajya Sabha (including 12 nominated members and five vacancies) — will form the electoral college.
By abstaining, the BJD, which has often played the role of a neutral force in national politics, has once again signaled its focus on state-centric priorities rather than aligning with national blocs.
