NDA's presidential nominee Murmu visits Arunachal to garner support for July 18 polls

Itanagar, Jul 6: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday visited Arunachal Pradesh to garner support for the ensuing presidential polls, scheduled to be held on July 18 next.

Party sources said Murmu, the former governor of Jharkhand, had a closed door meeting at the State Golden Jubilee Banquet Hall in Itanagar with the MPs, MLAs and Ministers of the ruling BJP and the NDA allies - National's People's Party and Janata Dal (United) seeking their support for the forthcoming election.

When asked for her comment about Arunachal Pradesh by the waiting journalists outside the meeting hall, the NDA's presidential nominee hailed the tribal-dominated state, saying, "It was very nice to come to Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal is a very beautiful state."

Murmu, who was accompanied by Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik, Assam MP Rajdeep Roy and BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, was received by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, BJP's State president Biyuram Wahge and others at the Raj Bhavan helipad.

Taking to Twitter, Khandu wrote, "Glad to have received Hon Smt Droupadi Murmu ji, NDA's candidate for upcoming Presidential election; Hon Min Shri @sarbanandsonwal ji & Smt @PratimaBhoumik ji; Hon MP Shri @drrajdeeproy ji & BJP Spokesperson Shri @sambitswaraj ji at Raj Bhawan helipad. My best wishes to her."

Senior BJP leader and Dy CM Chowna Mein, who also spoke in the closed-door meeting, later in a social media post wrote: "I extend my heartiest thanks to HPM Shri @narendramodi ji, President @BJP4India Shri @JPNadda ji & all the NDA alliance partners for supporting the candidature of Hon'ble Smt Droupadi Murmu ji for the Presidential Election. We assured 100% support and vote from Arunachal Pradesh."

Sources said that the value of vote of a Member of Parliament is 700, while that of a Member of Legislative Assembly is 8. It requires a mention that Arunachal Pradesh has three Members of Parliament – two in the Lower House and one in the Upper House. In the 60-Member Assembly, the BJP has 48 members, while NDA partners – NPP and JD(U) have four and one respectively. Congress has four legislators. The House also has three Independents.

A tribal leader from Odisha, Murmu, pitted against the joint Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, if elected, will be the first tribal woman President of India.

Talking to reporters at the sidelines of the meeting, Arunachal Pradesh BJP spokesman Dominic Tadar extended the party's best wishes to the NDA nominee for the upcoming presidential polls.

Applauding the NDA's decision to nominate Murmu as the presidential nominee, he said the BJP-led NDA headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has farsightedly envisaged a compassionate Indian society by choosing a tribal candidate, for the first time ever, to occupy the highest position of the country.