BJD Rules Out Support for NDA in Vice-Presidential Polls

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

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, senior BJD leader Mahesh Sahoo said, “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.”

When questioned about the BJD’s recent support to the NDA in Parliament for passing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Sahoo declined to elaborate, stating, “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 Vice-President’s post fell vacant following the abrupt resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 22.