YSRCP avers 'Droupadi Murmu will be a great President'; signals support for NDA candidate

In a big boost for NDA, Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP welcomed the announcement of Droupadi Murmu as its candidate in the Presidential election. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, YSRCP general secretary and Parliamentary Party leader Vijayasai Reddy agreed with PM Modi's prediction that Murmu will prove to be a "great President" of India. This is being perceived as an indication that the party will back NDA's presidential pick. As BJD and JDU have already declared their support for Murmu, she is expected to comfortably win the election. 

Presidential election in July

As the term of President Ram Nath Kovind is ending 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 comprising 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 partake 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.

After hectic parlays, the opposition named BJP-turned-TMC leader Yashwant Sinha as its candidate on June 21 after NCP chief Sharad Pawar, NC president Farooq Abdullah and Gopalkrishna Gandhi backed out. On the same day, BJP president JP Nadda revealed that former Jharkhand Governor Droupadi Murmu will face off with Sinha. A former Odisha MLA and Minister, Murmu will become the first Tribal president of India if she wins the poll. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Sinha stated that he would visit as many state capitals as possible after filing his nomination papers on June 27 to seek the support of all political parties.

Yashwant Sinha opined, "I take this opportunity to emphasise that this is not a contest of individuals. I have great regard for Smt. Droupadi Murmu who has been chosen by the BJP as its candidate for the Presidential election. I have had the pleasure of interacting with her when she was the Governor of Jharkhand. I wish her well in this election. However, this is a battle between two opposing ideologies. Leaders of one ideology are hellbent on throttling the Constitution. They believe India's Rashtrapati shouldn't function with a mind of her/his own and should merely serve as a rubber stamp to do the government's bidding."