Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday announced it will abstain from voting in the Vice Presidential election scheduled for September 9. The decision was confirmed by BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra.

“The BJD has decided to abstain from tomorrow’s vice presidential election. Our party continues to maintain equidistance from both the NDA and the INDIA alliances. We remain focused on the development and welfare of Odisha and its 4.5 crore people,” Patra told reporters.

The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, currently the main opposition party in Odisha, holds seven seats in the Rajya Sabha but has no representation in the Lok Sabha.

Odisha Congress President Bhakta Charan Das strongly criticised the move, calling it tacit support for the BJP-led NDA candidate, C.P. Radhakrishnan. “If the BJD abstains, it amounts to supporting the BJP,” Das remarked.

He further said, “This was the time for the BJD to take a historic stand. Speculations have long suggested that the BJD and BJP are one. If that is not true, Naveen Patnaik should have proved it now. The BJD lost ground in the 2024 elections—winning only 51 Assembly seats and none in the Lok Sabha—largely due to wrong decisions. Even some in the Rajya Sabha favour supporting the INDIA bloc nominee. Naveen Babu must decide wisely and save the party. The NDA cannot touch him, so why act under pressure?”

The Vice President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both Houses of Parliament. With 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 129 in the Rajya Sabha, the NDA already commands a clear majority, making Radhakrishnan’s victory all but certain.

The election comes after the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar as Vice President on July 21, citing health reasons.