Smooth ride for Droupadi Murmu, BJD announces support

New Delhi, June 22

Ruling NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, 64, is poised for a comfortable win in the July 18 presidential election as the alliance numbers on Wednesday crossed the halfway mark following BJD’s support for its nominee.

Editorial: Murmu’s march

The NDA so far was less than one per cent short of majority in the 10,86,431 vote-strong electoral college comprising 776 MPs (vote value 5,43,200) and 4,033 MLAs (vote value 5,43,231). Minus the BJD, the NDA had an estimated 5,36,303 votes, a tad short of the halfway mark (5,43,215). But with Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik today welcoming Murmu’s nomination, his party’s 32,000 votes will go to the NDA, spurring its strength to nearly 5,68,303.

‘Daughter of State’

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has appealed to all members of the Odisha Assembly to support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the presidential poll, describing her as the daughter of the state.

Ideological fight

Leaders of a particular ideology believe that India’s Rashtrapati should not function with a mind of her or his own and merely serve as a rubber stamp. —Yashwant Sinha

The UPA’s estimated vote value is 1,51,900, far behind that of the NDA, which has played a political masterstroke by fielding Murmu, the first tribal and the second-ever woman to be nominated for the highest office. The move has put the ruling JMM in Jharkhand and the Congress in Chhattisgarh in a bind, both states being predominantly tribal.

With sources in the the NDA expecting cross-voting in favour of Murmu, opposition’s presidential nominee Yashwant Sinha, 84, today held his first campaign meeting, saying India did not need a “rubber stamp President.”

He said leaders of a particular ideology “believe that India’s Rashtrapati should not function with a mind of her or his own and merely serve as a rubber stamp to do government’s bidding. I am proud to belong to the other ideology that is determined to save the Constitution and the Republic… I shall not allow the independence and integrity of democratic institutions to be weaponised against political opponents, as is happening now. I shall do my utmost to ensure that the majesty of the Indian Parliament will remain safe from attacks by the forces of authoritarianism.”

The former Finance Minister declared the election was not about him as an individual and that he would commence his campaign from Bihar and Jharkhand. The former minister who parted ways with the BJP in 2018, also said the government had played a joke on the unemployed with its Agnipath scheme.

“The President’s post is extremely sensitive and I won’t be under pressure from the government,” he said putting up a brave face, even as a section of Opposition leaders privately acknowledged that BJP’s nomination of Murmu had made the contest one-sided.