The Biju Janata Dal and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi on Monday said they would stay away from the vice-presidential election, as the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc geared up for the contest on Tuesday.

While BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao said the abstention was a mark of protest against the Centre’s “indifference” to the urea shortage in Telangana, the BJD did not cite any reason. The BJD has 7 MPs and the BRS 4.

“We are abstaining. We are not going to participate,” Rama Rao said, accusing both the BJP and the Congress of having failed the farmers of Telangana. The Congress is the ruling party in the state while the BJP aims to replace the BRS as the principal Opposition.

The BJD and the BRS have often tilted towards the government on key issues. The BJD’s abstention move appeared to have been driven by the BJP seizing power in Odisha.

“BJD president Naveen Patnaik has decided that the party’s MPs will abstain from voting in the vice-presidential elections,” BJD MP Sasmit Patra said.

Patra added: “Naveen took the decision after consulting senior party leaders, members of the political affairs committee (PAC) and lawmakers,” BJD MP Sasmit Patra said. He said the party would continue to be equidistant from the BJP and the Congress.

The abstentions by the two parties, however, would not make any significant difference to either side. The NDA is set to win comfortably, given its overwhelming numbers, but the victory margin may not be as big as in the past.

The electoral college for the Vice-President comprises members of both Houses of Parliament. At present, there are 239 Rajya Sabha and 542 Lok Sabha members. The abstention by the two regional parties would reduce the total strength to 770, with the majority mark at 386.

The NDA has 425 MPs. Therefore, the ruling alliance candidate, Maharashtra governor C.P. Radhakrishnan, appears all set to win. The 11-member Andhra Pradesh-based YRSCP has also announced its support for the NDA candidate.

On paper, INDIA candidate Justice (retd) B. Sudershan Reddy enjoys the support of 324 MPs. To ensure the Opposition MPs vote together, the INDIA bloc has held a mock poll session in the Central Hall of the old Parliament building. The Opposition doesn’t expect to win the election but wants to put up a good fight.

In a bid to check cross-voting, the Opposition MPs were urged to listen to their “inner conscience” and vote independently as the election was an “ideological battle”, with the NDA candidate having strong ties with the RSS. The MPs were told not to lettheir vote go to waste and to vote en bloc.

Sources in the BJP, however, claimed that many Opposition MPs could cross-vote as votes in the VP’s election are cast by secret ballot and party whips don’t apply. “Many Opposition MPs are in touch with us, and they could vote for our candidate,” a BJP MP said.