'Abstaining parties backing BJP in Vice Presidential poll,' says AAP leader Sanjay Singh

AAP leader Sanjay Singh (File)

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Tuesday criticised parties abstaining from or boycotting the Vice Presidential election, alleging that their stance amounted to support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"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," Singh told ANI.

Ruling out the possibility of cross-voting from his party, the Rajya Sabha MP said all AAP MPs would vote for the joint Opposition candidate, B Sudershan Reddy. At the same time, he suggested that cross-voting could take place within the BJP, citing the Constitution Club of India election as an example of unexpected results.

"Party's national convener Arvind Kejriwal and the party have decided to support Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy and vote for him. Our MPs will vote for him. There is no such possibility (of cross-voting) in our party. Other parties will have to check for theirs. All our votes will go to Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy. In the Constitution Club election, BJP members engaged in cross-voting and voted against the candidate preferred by Modi and Amit Shah. So, if something like that happens, there can be unexpected results," Singh said.

Polling for the Vice Presidential election began on Tuesday at 10 am, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi being the first to cast his vote. The contest is between NDA nominee CP Radhakrishnan and joint Opposition candidate B Sudershan Reddy.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has abstained from voting, while Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has decided not to participate. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) announced that it will "boycott" the poll, given that people in Punjab are "upset and angry" over no help from the Centre or state government.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were among those who cast their votes. Former Prime Minister and JD(S) MP in Rajya Sabha, HD Deve Gowda, arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote for the Vice Presidential poll.

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh also exercised his franchise. He chaired the upper house of Parliament in the absence of the Vice President during the monsoon session, after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned, citing health reasons.

Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda, Arjun Ram Meghwal and Pralhad Joshi exercised their franchise. Gadkari was seen shaking hands with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as they both arrived at the Parliament.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and Suresh Gopi expressed support for CP Radhakrishnan and confidence in his victory.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "NDA's victory is certain. CP Radhakrishnan will be the new Vice President."

Manjhi added, "NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan will surely win the Vice-President elections."

Suresh Gopi said, "This election is not about choosing between anyone. It is an election aimed at selecting fairness, truthfulness, and effectiveness, which are most needed for the citizens of the country, whether they live inside or outside the country. As a person, I found CP Radhakrishnan to be the best worker or one of the best among thousands of workers in my ideological system."

The NDA holds a majority in Parliament, and 424 MPs are likely to vote in favour of Radhakrishnan, which is above the majority mark of 391.

Counting of votes will be held later in the evening.

With inputs from ANI