VP election: BJD keeps cards close to its chest

With the battle lines clearly drawn for the September 9 vice-presidential elections, Odisha's Opposition party Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is yet to reveal its stand.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NDA pick CP Radhakrishnan is pitted against Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy in the polls.

Though BJD’s seven MPs may not be a deciding factor in the elections, party president Naveen Patnaik’s stand would be interesting for the national politics as well as for Odisha where the party has been opposing the 14-month-old maiden government of the BJP.

The BJD all along backed NDA candidates when it was in power in Odisha, but Patnaik’s party is now in the Opposition.