Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh asserted on Tuesday that parties abstaining from or boycotting the Vice-Presidential poll were effectively supporting the BJP, urging voters to see their absence as tacit endorsement. Parties’ Abstention in Vice-President Vote Fuels BJP Allegations underscored his comment on the stand taken by some regional groups.
Singh, speaking to ANI, maintained that abstention amounted to active support. “They are supporting the BJP. They have not boycotted. It means they have supported Modi. Punjab and the entire country have come to know that in times of crisis like this, the Akali Dal is standing with the BJP. They say something outside, but stand together inside,” he said. He also emphasised that all AAP MPs would vote for the Opposition’s joint candidate, B Sudershan Reddy, and stressed there was no possibility of cross-voting from his party.
Sanjay Singh cited cross-voting in the Constitution Club of India election as an example of unexpected outcomes, hinting that similar occurrences could emerge even among BJP ranks.
The Vice-Presidential election, held following the resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on 21 July citing health concerns, saw a direct contest between NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan and Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy. Radhakrishnan, who also serves as Maharashtra Governor, secured 452 votes, while Reddy received 300.
Parties that abstained included Biju Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Shiromani Akali Dal. Their decision to sit out the poll was widely interpreted as benefiting the BJP, given the NDA’s numerical advantage in Parliament.
The move drew criticism from both AAP and Congress, who characterised it as implicit endorsement of the ruling alliance. In particular, Moneycontrol highlighted that abstaining parties had effectively handed support to the BJP candidate.
The election unfolded amid heightened scrutiny of parliamentary arithmetic and strategic abstentions. While the INDIA bloc put forward Justice B Sudershan Reddy, the BJP relied on CP Radhakrishnan’s deep RSS roots and administrative experience to hold the vice-presidential post.
Sanjay Singh’s remarks drew attention to these abstentions as more than procedural absence—they became a flashpoint in the political narrative, with AAP framing them as politically motivated alignment rather than neutrality.
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