Expressing his happiness over the nomination of Droupadi Murmu as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Presidential nominee, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said it was a proud moment for the people of his State.
"I was delighted when Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji discussed this with me. It is indeed a proud moment for people of Odisha," Mr. Patnaik said in a tweet while congratulating Ms. Murmu on her candidature.
Mr. Patnaik further said he’s sure that Ms. Murmu “will set a shining example for women empowerment in the country”.
The BJP on Tuesday named Ms. Murmu, a tribal leader of the party from Odisha, as the ruling NDA’s candidate for the Presidential election, sending out a significant political message after elevating a Scheduled Caste, Ram Nath Kovind, to the top post five years back.
BJP president J. P. Nadda announced Ms. Murmu’s name at a press conference following a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.
Ms. Murmu (64), a former Governor of Jharkhand, will be the first person from Odisha and the first tribal woman to occupy the top Constitutional post if she is elected, a strong possibility as numbers are stacked in favour of the BJP-led NDA.
