Droupadi Murmu visits Mumbai; Thackerays not invited despite lending support
The BJP and the Shiv Sena faction headed by Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde hosted an opulent reception for Droupadi Murmu, the NDA's presidential candidate, on Thursday in Mumbai. However, Shinde's predecessor and Shiv Sena's official chief, Uddhav Thackeray, who offered his support without being asked, was snubbed. Neither Thackeray nor the 16 MPs who had requested the ex-CM's support for Murmu were invited.
Why does this story matter?
Since Eknath Shinde divided the party and succeeded Thackeray as Maharashtra's CM with the backing of the BJP, the Sena has already weakened. Six of the total 22 Sena MPs are with Shinde, placing them firmly in Murmu's camp. Given there is no binding "whip" in the presidential election and 16 of its MPs are supporting Murmu, Thackeray's Sena was left with little choice.
What happened at the event?
The new CM was spotted at Murmu's reception, sitting next to his deputy, Devendra Fadnavis, whom he has publicly identified as the "kalakar (artist)" behind the recent political events. Shinde stated that nearly 200 MLAs from Maharashtra will vote for Murmu, implying that legislators from other parties will vote for her against their party's stance since no whips can be issued in presidential elections.
Why did Uddhav Thackeray support Murmu?
Sena's chief Uddhav Thackeray, who initially backed opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, endorsed Murmu on Tuesday. The step was widely interpreted as an attempt to quell the growing schism within his party, which had resulted in the toppling of his government only a few weeks earlier.
Team Thackeray downplays the issue
Team Thackeray has downplayed the absence of an invitation to the program. Sanjay Raut, a senior leader of Team Thackeray, emphasized that since, officially, the Sena is no longer affiliated with the NDA, "there was no question of their being invited" to an NDA event. However, there has also been no word on whether Murmu and the Thackerays will meet separately or not.
A senior BJP leader likely to thank Thackeray: Reports
Earlier, presidential candidates like Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee visited the Thackerays' home, Matosheree, to solicit their support ahead of their presidential elections. According to reports, a senior BJP official will call the Thackerays soon to express gratitude for their support during the presidential elections.
President election to take place on July 18
Murmu, the 64-year-old ex-Jharkhand governor, will be contesting against the joint opposition candidate, former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, in the July 18 presidential election. If elected—which is nearly done as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has the support of the required number of MPs and MLAs and several smaller parties' backing—Murmu will be the first tribal woman to become the President of India.
