E-Paper
Droupadi Murmu's first trip to south since nomination, in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Droupadi Murmu: Barring surprises, the ex-Jharkhand governor will succeed president Ram Nath Kovind and become the country's first tribal woman to hold the post.
Droupadi Murmu - the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's candidate for the July 18 presidential election - was in Tamil Nadu on Saturday to meet AIADMK leaders and former chief ministers E Palaniswamy and O Panneerselvam, and other politicians from the state.
Making her first trip to the southern states since being named the NDA candidate, Murmu also travelled to Puducherry, where she met chief minister N Rangasamy and other leaders from the ruling All India NR Congress-led coalition, which is part of the BJP-led NDA.
In a closed door meeting of the NDA constituents Murmu spoke to party and independent lawmakers, requesting their support at the polling booth.
Barring surprises, Murmu will succeed president Ram Nath Kovind and become the country's first tribal woman to hold the post.
She faces ex union minister Yashwant Sinha, who is the consensus candidate of an opposition front that includes the Congress and the Trinamool.
READ | 'Will she dump Yashwant?': BJP on Mamata's Droupadi Murmu 'support'
Apart from the BJP, Droupadi Murmu will also have the support of the Biju Janata Dal from Odisha, her home state, and that alone should be enough to secure the necessary votes.
She can also count on Karnataka's Janata Dal (Secular), Bihar's Janata Dal (United) and Punjab's Akali Dal, as well as Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party after the ex Uttar Pradesh chief minister slammed the opposition for ignoring her.
READ | Droupadi Murmu for president, says Mayawati, slams opposition
Murmu will also have support from several constituent parties of the NDA.
In a surprise admission, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who led the charge to select Sinha as the opposition candidate, said she would have considered supporting Droupadi Murmu had the BJP indicated their choice.
READ | Murmu could have been consensus candidate: Mamata Banerjee
Meanwhile, Yashwant Sinha was in Telangana today while Murmu was in Tamil Nadu. Sinha met chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, whose party has offered support for his bid.
With input from PTI
