BHUBANESWAR : A win for Droupadi Murmu, the Presidential nominee of the BJP-led NDA government, is getting brighter - almost certain, to be precise - with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik throwing Biju Janata Dal’s weight behind the daughter from Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district of the State.
In a clear message to the Mamata Banerjee led non-BJP aggregates which have been trying hard to secure BJD support for Yashwant Sinha, the Chief Minister on Wednesday made an appeal to all MLAs of Odisha to extend their support to Murmu.
Naveen, who is currently on a tour to Rome, made the appeal through social media. “Appeal all the members of Odisha Legislative Assembly, cutting across party lines, to extend unanimous support to elect the daughter of #Odisha - Smt #DraupadiMurmu to the country’s highest office,” he tweeted.
Naveen who congratulated Murmu shortly after the BJP Parliamentary Board chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced her candidature for the top post of the country also made it clear that he had prior knowledge about the BJP choice.
In a tweet, Patnaik said he was delighted when the Prime Minister proposed Murmu’s name during a discussion. After emerging from a meeting with the Prime Minister on May 29, the Chief Minister had told media that there was no discussion on the Presidential election and neither the BJP nor the Opposition political parties have approached him in this context.
In a house of 147 members, the BJD has 114 legislators while the Opposition BJP has 22 members, Congress nine and one Independent. The regional party has a numerical strength of nine out of 10 seats in Rajya Sabha, while the BJP has one. BJD’s support will help NDA clinch the necessary numbers. As congratulatory messages poured in from all quarters except the Odisha Pradesh Congress, the State unit of BJP celebrated Murmu’s nomination by bursting crackers and distribution of sweets.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who was instrumental in getting Murmu the gubernatorial post of Jharkhand Governor in 2015 is believed to have played a significant role in her selection as NDA Presidential candidate.
Expressing his gratitude to the PM, Pradhan said Modi has once again made Odisha proud by choosing Murmu for the top post. Earlier, talking to mediapersons, State BJP president Samir Mohanty said the PM has once again proved that the party stood for the cardinal principle of ‘Antyoday’, the welfare of the people in the last mile.
Celebrations at Murmu’s school, college
Bhubaneswar: A day after Droupadi Murmu’s nomination as NDA’s Presidential candidate was announced, students and teachers of Capital Girl’s High School at Unit-II and Ramadevi Women’s University, where she studied, celebrated by distributing sweets. Murmu studied in the Unit II Girls High School during 1974. After completing her schooling, she pursued her higher studies in Ramadevi University, erstwhile Ramadevi Women’s College, from 1975 to 1979. During this period, she stayed in Kuntala Kumari Sabat girls hostel at Unit II. School officials said Murmu along with Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal had attended the alumni meet of the school in 2019 during diamond jubilee celebration of the institution. “It will be a historic day for our school if she is elected as the President of India. Being an alumni of this school, her achievements have filled our hearts with pride. She is an inspiration for all of us,” said a teacher of the school.