New Delhi: Presidential candidate for National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Droupadi Murmu filed her nomination today for the Presidential election that are scheduled to take place on July 18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and senior MPs from the NDA were present during her filing of nomination. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda reached the Parliament building ahead of her nomination.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami were also present during the nomination process as a show of strength.
Before filing her nomination as the presidential candidate, Murmu paid tributes at the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Birsa Munda.
Former governor of Jharkhand, Murmu was the first tribal woman to be appointed as the governor of an Indian state. If elected, she will also be the first President of India from a tribal community and second ever female President after Pratibha Patil.
To contest against Murmu, the Opposition has fielded Yashwant Sinha as its joint candidate who will file his nomination for the presidential election on June 27.
Numbers are heavily on Murmu’s side after Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal extended the tribal leaders its support, ensuring that she already has the majority support with the BJP expecting some other regional parties like YSR Congress and the AIADMK to also back her.