Draupadi Murmu files presidential poll nomination in presence of Modi
Draupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, filed her nomination for the presidential elections on Friday. PC Mody, the Returning Officer, received her nomination. She was accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP President JP Nadda. Meanwhile, she sought the support of opposition leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, and Mamata Banerjee.
Murmu met top BJP leaders before filing nomination
Before filing her nomination, Murmu had also met senior BJP leaders including PM Modi, Shah, Singh, and Nadda on Thursday. Following the meeting, she issued a short statement expressing gratitude to everyone for supporting her for the top post. "I will meet all the voters (MLAs and MPs) before July 18 and ask for support," she said.
Who is Draupadi Murmu?
Murmu is an Odia native who served as Jharkhand's governor between 2015-21. The former BJP leader was the state's first female governor and the first to serve a full term as the state's constitutional head. If elected on July 18, 64-year-old Murmu will be the country's first tribal woman and only the second woman after Pratibha Patil to hold the country's highest constitutional post.
What do the numbers say?
The NDA has roughly 5.26 lakh votes (nearly 49% of total votes) in the Electoral College and needs 1% more to get its candidate elected. It just requires either YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), or All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) to support its candidate. The BJD and YSRCP have about 31,000 and 45,550 votes in the Electoral College, respectively.
Murmu has many firsts to her name
Murmu, belonging to the Santhal ethnicity, was the first woman to be sworn in as the Jharkhand Governor in 2015. She was also the first tribal woman from her home state of Odisha to become governor. After being chosen as NDA's presidential candidate, she became the first tribal woman to have been chosen as a candidate for India's top constitutional post.
How is President of India elected?
The President of India is chosen by an electoral college comprising elected members of both Houses of Parliament, representatives of state legislatures, and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. According to the current estimates, the electoral college consists of 776 Members of Parliament (543 Lok Sabha MPs and 233 Rajya Sabha MPs) and 4,809 members of the state legislative assemblies.
