Naveen plays smart politics over Murmu
Naveen Patnaik’s masterstroke has not only cemented Droupadi Murmu’s election as the next President of India but also left many in the Opposition with little choice. Even Mamata Banerjee—a vociferous critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi—is forced to walk a tightrope. It is not lost on her that tribal votes will be decisive in the ensuing elections. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackery, fresh from the party’s vertical split, faces a similar dilemma with many of his MPs rooting for the former Jharkhand Governor.
Down south, YSR Congress and TDP too have pledged support. But the Biju Janata Dal supremo completely owned Murmu’s nomination, right from the word go to back his former cabinet colleague. Though on an overseas tour, he was the first to tweet about her nomination, extending BJD’s support. He called her Odisha’s daughter and assured to garner support from all political parties in the State. He has since engaged his colleagues to reach out to Congress and even Independents. When Murmu arrived in Odisha last week, the ‘brother-sister’ camaraderie was quite evident.
Women have always been a large, loyal constituent of BJD and by his unflinching support for Murmu who belongs to the Santhal tribe, the BJD boss certainly collected political capital that BJP—the principal Opposition in Odisha—wanted to corner through her Presidential nomination. The saffron party’s electoral prospects were on a slide since it suffered massive losses in successive by-elections and even panchayat and urban polls. It was looking to regain ground through its Look East and Mission South policies but that looks unlikely now, thanks to BJD’s unrivalled strategy.
For someone who won almost every election in the last 22 years, Naveen combines political acuity and statesmanship like no other. The 76-year-old previously backed NDA on critical national issues, be it CAA, Article 370 or even incumbent President Ramnath Kovind’s election. This time too, he is aware that BJD’s support is crucial for Murmu to get the desired numbers but did not lose sight of his party’s political interests. Without compromising on his stated principles of women empowerment, Naveen is taking smart politics to a new level.