India, Oct. 7 -- The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD on Wednesday decided neither to support nor oppose Thursday's Odisha bandh called by INDIA bloc parties, maintaining its policy of staying equidistant from the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led opposition alliance.

The decision came a day after BJD leaders joined opposition parties in Delhi in a protest seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Nine INDIA bloc parties have called a 12-hour bandh on October 8 against the new mining law, alleged errors in school textbooks and the SIR exercise.

The parties are also demanding the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Ministe...