NDA Prez candidate Murmu offers prayers at Rairangpur Temple

MAYURBHANJ: National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu offered prayers at Rairangpur Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Mayurbhanj on Wednesday morning. She also offered prayers at a Shiva Temple in Mayurbhanj's Rairangpur after which she swept the floor of the temple. In addition, Murmu visited a tribal worship place called 'Jahira' today.

Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman leader, was declared BJP-led NDA's presidential candidate. She is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister and is NDA's pick against Yashwant Sinha, a former Union Minister, the joint opposition candidate for the July presidential polls. She is likely to file her nomination on June 25, said sources on Tuesday.

Murmu said she was surprised to learn about her candidature and was unable to believe it and noted that she will work according to the powers of the President enshrined in the Constitution. Speaking exclusively to ANI over the phone, she said she will reach out to members of the electoral college for their support.

"I am surprised, I was not able to believe it. I am thankful, do not wish to speak much (at this stage)," Droupadi Murmu, a former Jharkhand Governor, said yesterday. "Whatever powers of President are enshrined in the Constitution, I will work accordingly," she said in response to a query about her priorities if she is elected as president.

The voting for presidential elections will be held on July 18. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country's second female President. Droupadi Murmu is the first presidential candidate from Odisha of a major political party or alliance. She continues to break barriers and was the first woman governor of Jharkhand. She served as Jharkhand Governor from 2015 to 2021.

Coming from a poor tribal family in a village situated in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, a backward district in Odisha, Droupadi Murmu completed her studies despite challenging circumstances. She taught at Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur.