The principal opposition party of Odisha, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), announced on Monday that its MPs will abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election. The party, headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, said it took the decision as part of its policy of "maintaining an equal distance" from both the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA and Congress-led INDIA bloc at the national level.
"BJD president Naveen Patnaik has decided that the party's MPs will abstain from voting in the vice presidential elections. He took the decision after consulting senior party leaders, members of the political affairs committee (PAC) and lawmakers," BJD MP Sasmit Patra told reporters here.
Patra said that the BJD maintains an equal distance from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. "Our entire focus is on the development of the state and its 4.5 crore people," Patra added.
The vice-presidential polls will be held on Tuesday.
In response to the announcement, both Congress and the BJP suggested that the BJD's decision would indirectly benefit the NDA candidate.
Welcoming the move, senior BJP leader and Union minister Jual Oram said, "By deciding that BJD MPs will abstain from voting, Naveen Babu has indirectly supported the NDA candidate." Pradeep Purohit, the saffron party's Bargarh MP, echoed Oram's sentiment, stating that the BJD's decision would benefit the NDA candidate. "They have not opposed our candidate," he said.
Meanwhile, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das commented, "Abstaining from voting means supporting the BJP... this was an opportunity for the BJD to prove that it is opposed to the saffron camp."
BJD MPs also abstained from voting in the vice-presidential election in 2012.
Also read: BJD, Cong press for transparency in Odisha’s SIR process
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