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Droupadi Murmu gets Z+ security cover
Armed commandos of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have taken over the security of NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu
A day after she was declared the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) nominee for the Presidential election, Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday was accorded Z+ category security by the Centre, people familiar with the matter said.
The Z+ category is the highest category of security accorded to VVIP persons.
Under this, around 50-55 commandos belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Odisha will secure Murmu in three shifts and will guard her till she gets elected as the President, a strong possibility with numbers stacked up in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee. After that, the President’s bodyguard will take over the responsibility from the CRPF, the people cited above said.
The armed commandos in Odisha have already taken over her security, they added.
Officials in the home ministry familiar said the former Jharkhand governor was provided the security cover based on inputs by central intelligence agencies about a threat perception to the Presidential candidate.
In 2017, the NDA’s then nominee and incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind was given a similar security cover of National Security Guard (NSG) commandos during the run up to the polls.
The presidential election is scheduled to be held on July 18 and counting of votes on July 21. Kovind’s term ends on July 24.
The decision to nominate Murmu as NDA’s nominee for the Presidential poll was taken at the meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s parliamentary board chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
The announcement came hours after 17 opposition parties decided to field former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, currently with the Trinamool Congress, as its consensus candidate, after its first three choices demurred.
The former Jharkhand governor’s name was among the first to do the rounds, although, as the decision neared, there was speculation of a more mainstream choice. By picking Murmu, a woman and a tribal, the BJP has yet again walked the talk on inclusion and empowerment.
Murmu’s nomination is in line with the BJP’s efforts to establish itself with tribal communities. It also fits with the party’s strategy of focussing on women who have emerged as a loyal and important vote bank.
