New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA on Tuesday announced Draupadi Murmu as its Presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. Murmu, if elected, would be the first President to belong to a tribal background. On Tuesday, the top brass of the saffron camp met (Parliamentary meeting) and discussed the name of Murmu, the former Jharkhand governor and tribal leader.
“For the first time, preference has been given to a woman tribal candidate. We announce Draupadi Murmu as NDA’s candidate for the upcoming Presidential elections… BJP parliamentary board discussed 20 names for presidential nominee, it was decided to pick someone from east India, a tribal & woman,” BJP chief JP Nadda said while announcing the name of Murmu as the Presidential candidate of the BJP.
“Like Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Draupadi Murmu has been associated with the field of education for a long time and has been a legislator and a minister,” he further added.
Who is Draupadi Murmu?
Murmu was the first woman to be sworn in as the Jharkhand Governor in 2015. She has headed the transport and commerce departments in the government of Odisha and has won the Neelkanth award for legislator in 2007.
Murmu was a minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet when the Biju Janata Dal or BJD ruled the state with the support of the BJP. She is a two-time BJP legislator from Odisha.
Draupadi Murmu was born on 20 June 1958 in Baidaposi village of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha. Her father’s name is Biranchi Narayan Tudu. She belongs to Santal family, a tribal ethnic group.
She started her political career as a councilor, later becoming the Vice-Chairperson of Rairangpur National Advisory Council or NAC.In 2013, she rose up to the ranks of national executive member of the party’s ST Morcha.
