Nadda dials SAD’s Sukhbir Badal to seek support for NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu

By Payal Mehta
New Delhi [India], June 30 (ANI): Ahead of the crucial presidential elections which will take place on July 18, the BJP continues to reach out to various political parties seeking support for the NDA’s presidential candidate, Droupadi Murmu.
In line with this outreach initiative, BJP national president JP Nadda dialed the party’s former ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal seeking support for Murmu’s candidature.
It may be noted that BJP and SAD were together for over 25 years. However, SAD left the BJP-NDA government over three farm laws, which were withdrawn a year later. Both parties also separately contested the Punjab Assembly elections held earlier this year.
Nadda held a telephonic conversation with Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury; Janata Dal (S) leader HD Deve Gowda; and National Conference chief Dr Farooq Abdullah last week.
NDA’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu submitted her nomination papers on June 24 and was supported by several parties including YSR Congress and Biju Janta Dal.
The presidential elections will take place on July 18 and the results will be declared on July 21.
Murmu filed her nomination papers at the Parliament Library Building in the national capital on June 24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed her name for the nomination, which was seconded by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The second set of proposers were the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, the third proposers were MLAs and MPs from Himachal and Haryana and the fourth set were MLAs and MPs from Gujarat.PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, Union ministers and BJP leaders Gen VK Singh (Retd), Bhupender Yadav and Giriraj Singh were present at the Parliament during her nomination filing. Droupadi Murmu, who was declared BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate, is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister.

She will face opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in the presidential contest on July 18.

If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country’s second female President. Droupadi Murmu is the first presidential candidate from Odisha of a major political party or alliance.

She continues to break barriers and was the first woman Governor of Jharkhand. She was born in a poor tribal family in a village of Mayurbhanj, a backward district in Odisha, Droupadi Murmu completed her studies despite challenging circumstances.She taught at Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur.

She started her political career as Rairangpur NAC vice-chairman. Droupadi Murmu was a member of the Odisha Legislative Assembly from Rairangpur between 2000 and 2004.
As a minister, she held portfolios of Transport and Commerce, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries. She again served as MLA in the Odisha assembly from 2004 to 2009. (ANI)