Shiromani Akali Dal 'boycotts' VP election; blames Centre, state govt for mishandling of flood relief

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 9 (ANI): The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab has decided to boycott the Vice Presidential elections set to happen on Tuesday. The party has said that neither the Central nor the state government has meaningfully helped the people of Punjab during the devastating floods, which have affected large swathes of farmland, displaced thousands, and submerged people's homes.
Currently, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur is the sole representative of the party in Parliament. The party has no Rajya Sabha MPs.
"Almost one third of the state lies submerged under water with houses and crops completely destroyed. It is a man-made tragedy caused by Punjab government's negligence and incompetence. Neither the state government nor the centre have come forward to help Punjabis in any way. Neither the state government nor the centre have come forward to help Punjabis in any way," the party posted on X.
The party said that the people of Punjab are "very upset and angry" with both the Centre for holding a VP election while the state suffers.
"The Shiromani Akali Dal represents the sentiments and the voice of the people Punjab. Therefore, the party has decided to BOYCOTT this Vice Presidential poll," the post added.
Apart from SAD, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have decided to abstain from voting too. While BRS cited the lack of help given to Telangana farmers during the time of crisis, BDS has said that they remain "equidistant" from both the NDA and the INDIA bloc.
The Vice Presidential election, scheduled for September 9, will witness a direct contest between Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy, backed by the INDIA bloc, and NDA's nominee CP Radhakrishnan.
Both the NDA and INDIA bloc held mock polls to ensure that no invalid votes are given during the elections.
A BJP leader said that the NDA candidate is expected to garner at least 427 votes. Congress leaders expressed confidence that the opposition candidate will get over 324 votes.
The Vice Presidential post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons.
The VP is elected by an electoral college, which consists of MPs from both houses of Parliament. The elections of the Vice President are governed by the provisions under Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution. The Election Commission notifies the VP polls by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952.
As per Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India, the election of the Vice President shall be held by the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.
Meanwhile, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh laid bare the catastrophic damage inflicted by the recent floods on the state's critical healthcare infrastructure, with initial estimates pegging the losses at a staggering Rs 780 crores.
Atleast 51 people have died due to the worsening flood conditions in the area, with heavy monsoon rains over the past week causing rivers to swell and inundate several districts across the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also set to visit the flood-affected area today, including Punjab and Himachal. (ANI)