Draupadi Murmu, who on Tuesday was named as NDA’s candidate for Presidential Polls scheduled to be held on July 18 is not a face known to many. Why did the BJP choose Murmu as its candidate? Read on to find out.
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Draupadi Murmu was born on 20 June 1958 in Baidaposi village of Odisha. She belongs to an Adivasi tribe named Santal.Â
Ms. Murmu was the 1st woman to hold the position of Governor in the state of Jharkhand. Murmu also served as a minister in the Odisha government when Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
She is known as a good administrator having handled key ministries like transport, commerce, fisheries, and animal husbandry in the government of Odisha.
Murmu started her political career as a counselor and later got the post of Vice-Chairperson of Rairangpur National Advisory Council which is also known as NAC.
She is an arts graduate from Rama Devi Women’s College- Bhubaneswar and has almost spent 20 years in social service and politics.
Before stepping foot in politics, she served as an assistant teacher at the Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre in Rairangpur. If elected, as President the 64 years Murmu would be the 1st person from the tribal community to hold India’s top post.
Why did the BJP choose Draupadi Murmu?
The selection of Draupadi Murmu for the top post could not be good news for the opposition camp, as it will be hard for them not to support her.
Parties like Jharkhand Mukti Morcha who are ruling Jharkhand a state with a huge tribal population, with the help of Congress will find it difficult not to support her because she is a tribal as well as she was the Governor of Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha being a part of UPA is expected to support Yashwant Sinha the joint-opposition candidate for the Presidential Polls.
But as Murmu was the former governor of Jharkhand she enjoys a good relationship with the people in the government. This could put JMM in a tight situation.
The move to pick Murmu as the candidate for Presidential Polls will also help the ruling BJP in the upcoming elections in six key states, and also in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024.
