BJD to abstain from Vice President polls, reiterates ‘equidistance’ policy

Bhubaneswar, Sept 8: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has announced that it will abstain from voting in the Vice President elections scheduled for tomorrow, reaffirming its long-standing strategy of maintaining political neutrality between the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc.

The announcement was made by BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra, who stated that the decision was taken under the leadership of party president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He reiterated that the party has consistently followed a policy of equidistance from both national alliances, focusing instead on safeguarding Odisha’s interests.

According to sources, the decision followed a meeting of the party’s political affairs committee, chaired by Patnaik. Most senior leaders reportedly supported abstaining from the election, reasoning that any tilt toward either side could send politically sensitive signals.

While some leaders feared that backing the NDA candidate might portray the BJD as aligned with the ruling party, others felt that supporting the Opposition nominee would indirectly link the BJD with the Congress-led bloc.