Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP Suresh Reddy announced on Monday that his party would abstain from voting in the Vice-Presidential election scheduled for Tuesday. The contest is between NDA candidate C.P. Radhakrishnan and INDIA bloc nominee, former Supreme Court judge B. Sudarshan Reddy.
BRS to abstain from Vice-President election
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Suresh Reddy said the decision was taken after consultations within the party and with BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao. He explained that farmers in Telangana were facing acute hardship due to the shortage of urea, yet both the Centre and the state government had failed to resolve the crisis despite repeated appeals.
“There is no NOTA option in the Vice-President election ballot. Therefore, we decided to abstain as a mark of protest,” Reddy said.
Farmers’ crisis at the core of decision
The MP underlined that abstaining was intended to draw attention to farmers’ problems. “Both governments are ignoring the plight of farmers. They are being tormented by the shortage of fertilizers. This is why we will not participate in the election,” he added.
Respect for both candidates
Reddy clarified that the BRS had great respect for both contestants. “They are highly accomplished in their fields, and one of them even belongs to our own state. However, given the neglect of farmers, the party has chosen to stay away from the polls,” he said.