Droupadi Murmu, the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate, submitted her candidacy today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP and alliance officials, in a major show of force ahead of the July 18 presidential election.
PM Modi offered her name for the nomination, which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seconded.
The chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were the second group of proposers, MLAs and MPs from Himachal and Haryana were the third set, and MLAs and MPs from Gujarat comprised the fourth set.
Leaders of the YSR Congress and the Biju Janata Dal, both non-NDA parties, were also present in Parliament to support her candidacy.
AIADMK leaders O Paneerselvam and M Thambidurai, as well as JD-U leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh, were present.
Each nominee must have 50 proposers and 50 seconders from among elected representatives.
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Draupadi Murmu, the first woman tribal leader to make her nomination for the country’s top constitutional seat, is an experienced politician from Odisha with a strong academic background.
She is a former Jharkhand governor and Odisha minister.
In the presidential election, she will face opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Ms Murmu, if elected, will be the first female tribal chief and the second woman in the position. Ms Murmu, 64, will also be the youngest president ever, second only to N Sanjeeva Reddy, who was only a few days her senior when he was elected.
The presidential election to replace incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind would be held on July 18, with the results expected on July 21.
Bengali