PATNA: NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu will visit Patna on Tuesday morning to meet senior BJP leaders and CM Nitish Kumar to sick support in the presidential election on July 18. The opposition has fielded Yashwant Sinha.
Labour resources department minister Jibesh Mishra told reporters that Murmu will arrive in a chartered plane at 10am. She will stay at Maurya Hotel and interact with the representatives of the NDA constituents, besides exploring the likely support from other corners. At around 1.30pm, she will leave for her next destination.
NDA constituents BJP, JD(U), Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Lok Janshakti Party (Paras) have already supported her candidature. They together have 127 of the 243 MLAs in the state assembly. Besides, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan has also announced his support to Mumu.
Mishra also tried to drive a wedge through the opposition camp, saying the women and Adivasi (tribal) MLAs have been assessing their choice regarding their likely presidential candidate. Mishra appealed to RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and other opposition parties to support the NDA presidential candidate. However, he did not mention Congress and CPI(ML).
Hoping that the RJD and the communists would extend support to Mumu, Mishra said she should be the unanimous choice of elected representatives from Bihar, as she belonged to the Adivasi social group and had made a political mark for herself from neighbouring Odisha by becoming an MLA twice and also a minister before becoming the governor of Jharkhand.
