NDA nominates Droupadi Murmu as next President
The presidential race heats up with the dark horse emerging to the front
Pic - Government/publicly available sources
The ruling NDA, led by the BJP, has nominated former Governor of Jharkhand, Droupadi Murmu as the next President; the polls are to be held on 18 July 2022. The tenure of the current President, Ram Nath Kovind, ends on 24 July.
Coming from a humble background, Murmu hails from the Mayurbhanj district of northern part of south-eastern state of Odisha. Mayurbhanj is known for its rich tribal culture and heritage.
Yesterday, the Opposition had nominated Yashwant Sinha as its candidate, after veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Kashmir’s Farooq Abdullah and former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi refused to be nominated.
Sinha had held various central ministry portfolios when the BJP was in power under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Later, Sinha quit the BJP with the emergence of the PM Modi and had joined Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, who incidentally had also served as a union minister in the Vajpayee government.
Though the post of the President is largely decorative in nature, it has a crucial role to play and unfavourable remarks could tarnish the image of the government. The President could also delay the passage of bills, and at times refuse to approve bills.
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