NEW DELHI: India may finally get its first tribal President, with BJP naming Droupadi Murmu (64), a Santhal from Odisha, as its candidate for the top constitutional office.
BJP chief JP Nadda declared Murmu’s candidature after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board approved what is widely considered to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice for Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Smt Droupadi Murmu Ji. Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country,” tweeted the PM.
Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from t… https://t.co/HOZnROJ7Ak— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1655828724000
If elected, Murmu will be the second woman President after Pratibha Patil (2007-12), who was backed by UPA.
With BJP-led NDA, which is short of majority in the electoral college, confident of making up the shortfall with the help of regional players like BJD’s Naveen Patnaik and YSRCP’s Jagan Mohan Reddy — chief ministers of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh respectively — Murmu appears favourite to replace incumbent Ramnath Kovind, a Dalit from UP, in Rashtrapati Bhavan after the July 18 polls.
