Bhubaneshwar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has announced that it will not support the no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, put forward by the INDIA bloc. BJD Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Bishi confirmed on Sunday that the party would not vote in favor of the motion. “None from the INDIA alliance have contacted us seeking support for the motion, so it is certain that we will not support it,” Bishi stated.

This decision follows earlier remarks from BJD chief and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who said the party was reviewing the situation regarding the motion. “We are examining it and will take necessary steps,” Patnaik had said in response to a question about the party’s stance on the motion against Dhankhar.

On December 10, the Opposition submitted a notice to introduce a no-confidence or impeachment resolution against Dhankhar, accusing him of displaying “partisan” conduct and acting as an “impassioned spokesperson” for the government’s policies at public forums.

With the BJD withholding support, the no-confidence motion against Dhankhar is now unlikely to succeed. The BJD has seven members in the Rajya Sabha. The party had supported Dhankhar’s nomination as Vice President in 2022.

In recent months, two BJD Rajya Sabha MPs, Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar, left the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mohanta was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha a few months ago, while Kumar was re-elected just last week. Earlier this year, the BJD also supported Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s Rajya Sabha candidacy from Odisha.