NEW DELHI: Just a day ahead of the Vice Presidential elections, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD( has decided to abstain from voting and will maintain equidistant from the NDA and INDIA bloc opposition.
This comes after the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led also announced to abstain from the vice presidential polls scheduled on September 9.
Speaking to the media, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said, “Following the discussion of party chief Patnaik with the party senior leaders, party political affairs committee and MPs, BJD has decided to abstain from the vice presidential elections tomorrow.”
He said that the “BJD remains equidistant from NDA and INDIA bloc”.
“We are focused on the development and welfare of Odisha and welfare of 4.5 crore people of the state,” Patra added.
The polling for the Vice Presidential elections will take place on September 9.
BJP-led NDA has fielded C P Radhakrishnan as its VP candidate while the Congress-led INDIA bloc and opposition parties have fielded B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate.
Meanwhile, Opposition MPs on Monday were briefed on the procedure to vote in the September 9 vice-presidential polls.
Even a ‘mock poll’ was conducted in the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan on Monday after the briefing on the procedure to vote in the vice presidential polls.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was to host a dinner for the opposition MPs on Monday evening, but that has been cancelled keeping in view the flood situation in many parts of the country.
The VP election will witness a direct contest between Reddy and Radhakrishnan, who is also the Maharashtra Governor.
The polling will commence at 10 am and close at 5 pm on September 9. Counting of votes will take place on Tuesday itself.
The VP is elected through an electoral college, which consists of MPs from both houses of Parliament. The election of the vice president is governed by the provisions under Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution.
The election for VP was necessitated after JAgdeep Dhankhar announced his resignation on first day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session on July 21 citing health grounds.
NDA’s Radhakrishnan has a comfortable lead over the joint Opposition candidate, former Supreme Court judge Reddy.
The opposition also announced Congress MPs Syed Naseer Hussain, Manickam Tagore and Shatabdi Roy to as polling agents for Reddy in the Vice Presidential elections and Shaktisinh Gohil and Tagore as counting agents.
The NDA nominee enjoys the support of 439 MPs compared to 324 MPs supporting the INDIA bloc nominee.
Even YSRCP has announced to support the NDA candidate.
