Bharat readies to welcome a tribal President
If one believes in the simple mathematical calculation and minimum
political honesty by public representatives in the Indian Parliament
and State legislative assemblies, the largest democracy on Earth is
expecting a lady tribal President in New Delhi. As Draupadi Murmu, a
simple Janjati family woman turned a teacher turned a politician, gets
the recommendation from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led
National Democratic Alliance government for the Presidential
elections scheduled for 18 July next, her victory becomes almost
imminent.
Hailing from Mayurbhanj locality of Odisha, who taught in Shri
Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, the NDA’s Presidential candidate
earlier served Jharkhand as its Governor and her own State as a
minister. After arriving in New Delhi, Murmu has filed her nomination
papers in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home
minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national
president JP Nadda, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, MP CM Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, etc. Her main opponent
will be a seasoned politician, who had lately shifted his loyalty from
the saffron party. Yashwant Sinha, a former Union minister, has been
declared as the joint opposition candidate for the Presidential polls.
Election Commission of India had recently announced the schedule of
Presidential elections as the five-year tenure of President Ram Nath
Kovind comes to end on 24 July 2022. The nominations (for 18 July
polling) are accepted till 29 June and the poll-result will be
available on 21 July. For records, any citizen of Bharat can become
the country’s President after fulfilling a few conditions. The
aspirant must be at least 35 years old and he/she has the
qualification to be elected as a member of Lok Sabha. On submitting
the nomination, the aspirant needs 50 recognised proposers and 50
seconders.
Unlike other democratic nations, the common Indias do not elect their
President directly, but the Head of the Republic is voted by the
people’s representatives (meaning the Parliamentarians and
Legislators) with the basis of Electoral College. It includes 543
members of Lok Sabha (the lower house of Parliament), 233 members in
Rajya Sabha (the upper house) and 4,033 members of legislative
assemblies across the vast country. Value of an MP’s vote in
Presidential elections varies with the total number of Legislators in
State (including Union Territories) legislative assemblies. An MLA’s
vote-value depends on the number of electorates of the concerned
State/UT.
The ruling BJP has 92 Rajya Sabha members (including four nominated
MPs, who cannot vote) and 301 Lok Sabha MPs, which is more than the
half of combined strength of both the houses. The saffron party also
enjoys support from its alles like Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Lok
Janshakti Party, Apna Dal, Asom Gana Parishad, Mizo National Front,
National People’s Party, etc. As the BJP retains power in 18 States,
it enjoys impressive numbers (along with the political allies) among
Legislators too.
Meanwhile, in Murmu’s home State, the Biju Janata Dal government chief
Naveen Patnaik urged all political parties of Odisha to support her
(even though they are not NDA allies). Patnaik, who is in power for
over two decades, also appealed to the opposition parties to withdraw
their candidate (Yashwant Sinha). Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS
Jagan Mohan Reddy indicates his party YSRCP may support Murmu. Others
which may join the league comprise BSP (Uttar Pradesh), TRS
(Telangana), AAP (Delhi & Punjab), JMM (Jharkhand), AIADMK (Tamil
Nadu), etc.
For the ruling BJP, there were a number of choices for the
Presidential polls including the incumbent vice-President Venkaiah
Naidu and a few reputed Governors of different States. But the party,
which has been facing public angers (ofen turned violent) for the
Nupur Sarma-Profet Muhammad controversy, Agniveer defece policy, other
burning issues, silently picked up an efficent and honest Santhal
political personality to replace a Dalit (Kovind is the second Dalit
President of India after KR Narayanan) in Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The struggling life of Murmu can also impress anyone who looks through
her days from a poor tribal family to complete her studies at
Bhubaneswar Ramadevi Women’s College against all odds. Born on 20 June
1958, Murmu started her career as a teacher before joining the Odisha
politics. She was elected to the State legislative assembly twice as a
BJP member. Murmu served various portfolios as a minister of the State
government in Bhubaneswar. Incidentally she became the first woman
Governor of Jharkhand (2015 to 2021).
Her first reaction over the development was a big surprise. ‘I am
surprised, I was not able to believe it,’ said Murmu while speaking to
journalists and added that she would work with the constitutional
guidelines if elected to the coveted post. PM Modi in an initial tweet
commented that Murmu has a rich administrative experience and had an
outstanding gubernatorial tenure. Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA), backed by BJP’s influential ideologue
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, termed Murmu’s candidature as a
historic moment for 120 million Janajati people of India.
“Janajatis are an integral constituent of tradition and inheritors of
an esteemed culture of the great Indian nation. However they have been
overlooked and disregarded for many centuries,” said Ramchandra
Kharadi, president of ABVKA, which is identified as India’s largest
tribal non-government welfare organisation. He asserted that a
historical decision has been taken to nominate a Santhali Janajati
lady as the Presidential candidate when the nation is celebrating the
glorious 75th years of its independence.
Nava Thakuria
