Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Odisha’s main opposition party, has indicated that it will not support the NDA nominee in the upcoming Vice-Presidential election scheduled for September 9.

“The party will not back the NDA candidate under any circumstances. Earlier, we had supported the Narendra Modi-led BJP government when it fielded Odisha’s Droupadi Murmu for the Presidential election. But the situation is entirely different now. We will oppose the NDA nominee for the Vice-President’s post,” senior BJD leader Mahesh Sahoo told reporters today.

When asked about the party’s recent support to the NDA in Parliament for passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Sahoo brushed aside the query, saying, “This is not an issue for discussion at the moment. We will never support the NDA’s Vice-Presidential candidate. However, the final decision will be taken by our supremo, Naveen Patnaik.”

The remarks come a day after the Election Commission of India issued the notification for the 11th Vice-Presidential election. The last date for filing nominations is August 21.

The post of Vice-President fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned abruptly on July 22.