Droupadi Murmu, the presidential candidate for the ruling NDA, expressed confidence that she would receive support from all MLAs and MPs from Odisha, regardless of their political affiliations.
A former tribal chief who is now governor expressed her surprise and joy at learning that the NDA had nominated her for the position. “I’m thrilled and astonished at the same time. I had not anticipated running for the top position as a tribal lady from the outlying Mayurbhanj district”, Murmu told reporters on Tuesday at her Rairangpur home.
The BJP’s campaign motto, “sabka saath, sabka vikas, aur sabka vishwas,” she claimed, is reflected in the NDA government’s choice to select a tribal woman for the top position. Murmu responded, “I am optimistic of receiving support from all members of the Odisha Legislative Assembly and MPs.” She was asked if she could win over the state’s ruling BJD, which has over 2.8% of the Electoral College vote for the upcoming presidential election.
I am a daughter of the land, she added. As an Odia, I have the right to ask that all members support me. Murmu, a member of the Santhal clan, entered politics in 1997 as a councillor in Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat. She advanced through the ranks to become a minister in the BJD-BJP cabinet in 2000, and in 2015 she was appointed governor of Jharkhand.
The BJD’s Murmu, a two-term former Rairangpur MLA, kept her assembly seat in 2009 despite the BJD’s severing connections with the saffron movement only weeks before the state polls, which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s party won handily. I wasn’t anticipating this opportunity, she remarked. I didn’t attend any political events after being elected governor of the neighbouring state of Jharkhand for more than six years. I’m hoping everyone will help me.
There was jubilation when it was announced that Droupadi was running for president of the country, especially in her home area of Mayurbhanj. Many people, including leaders from other parties, visited her home to offer their congratulations. Numerous Santali followers came in front of her home with their native musical instruments, singing, and dancing.
Suresh Pujari, a BJP member from Bargarh, stated, “We are all shocked by the party’s choice to choose a tribal woman from this area as the presidential candidate.” A daughter of the soil will hold the coveted position for the first time this time. “I am extremely thrilled as Murmu belongs to my Lok Sabha seat and is also a member of my tribal group,” said Union Tribal Affairs Minister Bisheeswar Tudu.
The BJP appeared to have spoken with Murmu before naming her for the top position and announcing that Naveen Patnaik’s BJD would be “supporting her” in the upcoming election.
