BSP will support NDA's presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu: Mayawati

New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said on Saturday that she will support National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu in the presidential polls. “We've decided to support NDA's Presidential election candidate Droupadi Murmu. We've taken this decision neither in support of BJP or NDA nor against opposition but keeping our party and movement in mind,” BSP chief was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

We've decided to support NDA's Presidential election candidate Droupadi Murmu. We've taken this decision neither in support of BJP or NDA nor against opposition but keeping our party and movement in mind: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/7QXbnVNXNj — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 25, 2022

The BSP chief further said that she was not invited to the meeting chaired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar to elect an opposition candidate for the Presidential election

."Mamata Banerjee invited only selected parties in the meeting she called on June 15 to elect an opposition candidate for the Presidential election and when Sharad Pawar called a meeting on June 21, then also BSP was not invited. It shows their casteism motives," she added.

This comes after, Murmu on Friday spoke to Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

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.

Meanhwhile, Opposition candidate for the presidential election Yashwant Sinha reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday, seeking their support for the July 18 polls. Sinha also dialled Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and reminded him of the commitment that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had made when he was named as the combined opposition candidate for the presidential polls.