New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra on Monday announced that the party has decided to abstain from voting in the vice-presidential election scheduled for Tuesday. Reiterating the party’s neutral stance, Patra said the BJD continues to maintain equidistance from both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc.

Speaking to IANS, Sasmit Patra said, “After discussions with our honourable party president Naveen Patnaik, senior leaders, and the political affairs committee, the BJD has decided to abstain from the vice-presidential election tomorrow.”

“The BJD remains equidistant from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc. Our primary focus is on the development and welfare of Odisha,” he added.

The vice-presidential election will see a face-off between Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA’s candidate, and retired Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy, the nominee of the INDIA bloc. The election assumes significance following the unexpected resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who stepped down citing health reasons.

The BJP organised a ‘Sansad Karyalaya’ on Sunday, and it will also be held on Monday as a practice session for its MPs on Monday to guide them on the voting process.

Meanwhile, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, is set to host a dinner for the INDIA bloc MPs this evening at the Parliament Annexe.

Voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, with counting scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. the same evening. Members of both Houses of Parliament—543 elected members of the Lok Sabha (with one vacancy) and 245 members of the Rajya Sabha (including 12 nominated members and five current vacancies)—will form the electoral college.

Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned from the post of vice-president on July 21, stating that he was stepping down to prioritise healthcare and abide by medical advice.

His resignation, submitted under Article 67(a) of the Constitution, took effect immediately. Dhankhar had served as India’s vice-president since 2022 and was previously the governor of West Bengal from 2019 to 2022.

–IANS

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