Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Presidential candidate, said her candidature was a reflection of the value of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas’ (everyone’s support, everyone’s development and everyone’s trust).
“No tribal person had ever occupied the post of President of India. My nomination as a candidate for the post of President of India is reflection of the value ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas‘. I have called everyone who proposed my name for the post and thanked them,” Ms. Murmu said, reacting to the news from her Rairangpur house in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday.
“I was among many people whose names were considered for the post of President of India. I believed whoever would have been nominated would have surely served the country to their fullest capacity. I was surprised at the declaration of my name for the post. This is a huge responsibility,” the former Jharkhand Governor said.
“My name was also in circulation in 2017. I had never believed that my name would be declared. I am happy that they reposed faith on me and thought of sending a tribal to occupy the country’s top post,” Ms. Murmu added.
When asked about candidature of Yashwant Sinha, the joint Opposition candidate, Ms. Murmu said, “I have no comment on the candidature of Yashwant Sinha. I will tour every State, seeking the support of all parties and Members of Legislative Assemblies in favour of my candidature.”
“I have not been in politics for the past six years. In July 2021, I left the Governorship of Jharkhand. During the past one year, I have never involved myself in any kind of politics,” Ms. Murmu said.
Asked about the critical support of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), she said, “I am confident that the Biju Janata Dal will support my candidature. In fact, I have a right on their votes. I am a daughter and daughter-in-law of Odisha. I was an MLA in the Odisha Legislative Assembly and served as Minister in the BJD-BJP coalition government.”
Ms. Murmu belongs to the Santhal community, a dominant tribal community, which has a significant population in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. During her stint as Governor of Jharkhand, Ms. Murmu maintained a good relationship with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is also Santhal. Political observers said Mr. Soren could come under pressure from the community to either support Ms. Murmu or stay neutral in the Presidential election.
The way the numbers are stacked at present, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has close to 5.23 lakh votes in the electoral college of over 10 lakh votes and is short of nearly 20,000 votes from the majority mark. They are hoping to make up for this difference with the support of the BJD, which has 31,705 votes, and the YSR Congress, which has 45,798 votes. By selecting Ms. Murmu as Presidential candidate, the NDA has probably scored a bull’s eye.
