Droupadi Murmu seeks support from Sonia Gandhi, Mamata & Pawar ahead of Presidential polls

Droupadi Murmu, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate, filed her nominations for the position of 15th President of the country on Friday. She filed her nominations in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other Union cabinet ministers & Chief Ministers of BJP & NDA-ruled states.

Meanwhile, sources informed Republic TV that Droupadi Murmu spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and NCP chief Sharad Pawar seeking support from them and their party for her candidature in the upcoming presidential election that will be held on 18 July 2022.

It is pertinent to note that Union Minister and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Yashwant Sinha has been appointed as the consensual candidate of the opposition. He is expected to file his nomination on June 27. The Opposition parties settled on Yashwant Sinha as their joint candidate during a high-level meeting that concluded in Delhi on Tuesday. After the first three proposed candidates refused, Sinha's name was unanimously decided by the political parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress

YSRCP backs NDA's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu

On Friday, Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP extended support to NDA's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu. YSRCP general secretary and Parliamentary Party leader Vijayasai Reddy and Lok Sabha MP Mithun Reddy signed the nomination papers of the NDA candidate ahead of the Presidential elections. It is pertinent to note that YSRCP holds a 4% vote share in the polls.

Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP welcomed the announcement of Droupadi Murmu as its candidate in the Presidential election on Wednesday. Taking to Twitter, YSRCP leader Vijayasai Reddy agreed with PM Modi's prediction that Murmu will prove to be a "great President" of India. This was perceived by many as an indication that the party will back NDA's presidential pick as BJD and JDU had already declared their support for Murmu.

Presidential election 2022

As the term of President Ram Nath Kovind is coming to an end on July 24, an election to fill this impending vacancy will be held on July 18. The President will be elected by the Electoral College consisting of elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies through a secret ballot. However, the nominated MPs and MLCs of various states are not eligible to participate in this election. The total value of the votes of electors is 10,86,431. While the last date for filing nomination papers is June 29, the counting of votes shall take place on July 21.

(Image: PTI)