Droupadi Murmu for president, says Mayawati, slams Oppn for not consulting her

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati backed Droupadi Murmu saying 'the Adivasi samaj is an important part of the party's movement' and denied it meant she was supporting the BJP.

Updated on: Jun 25, 2022, 11:25:23 IST

By HT News Desk | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati will support Droupadi Murmu, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance candidate for next month's presidential election. "The BSP has decided to extend support to Droupadi Murmu in the coming presidential elections, keeping in mind the Adivasi samaj is an important part of the party's movement," she said.

BSP Supremo Mayawati (HT FILE PHOTO) (HT_PRINT)

"This decision was taken not to support the BJP or NDA nor to go against the opposition UPA, but keeping in mind our party and its movement for making a capable and dedicated Adivasi woman the president of the country," the BSP boss and ex-Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

The Bahujan Samaj Party has 10 Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs but two of the latter three parliamentarians will retire on July 4 - 14 days before the election. The party also has one seat in the UP Legislative Assembly.

Mayawati, meanwhile, also hit out at the opposition for not consulting her as they selected a joint candidate - former union minister Yashwant Sinha.

READ: Yashwant Sinha calls up PM Modi, Rajnath Singh, seeks support

A joint front of the Trinamool, the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM, the National Conference and the DMK met this month to pick a consensus candidate, settling on Sinha after Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah said ‘no’.

"Mamata Banerjee invited only selected parties to the meeting she called on June 15 to select an opposition candidate for presidential election... when Sharad Pawar called a meeting on June 21 then also BSP was not invited. It shows their casteist motives," she declared.

Droupadi Murmu is widely expected to become the first tribal woman to be president of India. The former Jharkhand governor will be backed by the BJP, of course, and also the Biju Janata Dal of Odisha, which is Murmu's native state.

READ: Droupadi Murmu honoured in iconic Odisha sand sculpture

Murmu filed her nomination papers in Delhi on Friday, amid a show of strength led by prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah and defence minister Rajnath Singh, as well as BJP president JP Nadda.

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