BJD Faces Criticism After Abstaining from 2025 Vice Presidential Poll

Bhubaneswar, Sep 9: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Odisha’s principal opposition party, has drawn widespread criticism after deciding to abstain from the 2025 Vice Presidential election, raising questions about its relevance at the national level.

Analysts note that the decision comes almost 15 months after the BJD, led by Naveen Patnaik, lost power to the BJP following 24 years of uninterrupted rule in the state. The party suffered significant setbacks in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, and now retains just seven Rajya Sabha seats after two of its MPs, Sujit Kumar and Mamata Mahant, defected to the BJP and were promptly re-elected on the saffron party’s ticket.

Speculation had suggested that the BJD, which supported the ruling NDA on several key issues over the past decade, might back the INDIA bloc candidate to rebrand itself after electoral losses. However, the decision to abstain has drawn sharp reactions from political circles and social media.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das criticized the move, calling BJD and BJP “two sides of the same coin” and saying the abstention amounts to a tacit endorsement of the ruling party. Former BJD MP Tathagata Satapathy described the abstention as “self-destructive,” highlighting the party’s dwindling political relevance at the national level.

Even within the BJD, unease is evident. Several senior leaders privately admitted that a conscience vote in favor of the INDIA bloc candidate could have sent a stronger message of independence from the BJP. By abstaining, the party has invited accusations of double-speak, especially given its past track record of aligning with the ruling party at the national level.

Historically, the BJD’s stance in Vice Presidential polls has varied: it abstained in 2012 (when Hamid Ansari won), supported non-NDA candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi in 2017 (when Venkaiah Naidu won), and backed NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar in 2022.

Political observers note that the BJD’s abstention in 2025 could further erode its claim as Odisha’s principal opposition and complicate its image among voters and political allies.