NDA steals a march over Opposition parties, including Congress.
New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA has triggered panic in the opposition camp by naming Odisha tribal leader Droupadi Murmu as its candidate for the 18 July presidential election. The Congress is also in a fix after this move of the ruling alliance. If elected, which is a strong possibility given the support from some regional parties, Murmu will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post. After BJD leader Naveen Patnaik’s support for the NDA’s candidate, Murmu’s victory looks certain. All eyes will be fixed on whether she will set a new victory record on 21 July, as several parties are now compelled to support the tribal leader. Droupadi was also a frontrunner last time, but a Dalit face Ram Nath Kovind had been finalised for presidential election then. But now PM Modi stole a march over opposition by approving Murmu’s candidature. Droupadi Murmu’s candidature has triggered the debate over tribal politics. Moreover, this move is also a message on women empowerment. The NDA will definitely raise the issue of tribal and women empowerment during the campaign. This will have a bearing on the politics of the states where tribal communities play an important role in poll dynamics. These states include Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Odisha and Kerala. Odisha’s ruling party BJD was first to support as Murmu’s name was announced. The leaders of NDA partners like JDU and AIADMK were present during the filing of papers by Droupadi. The parties such as AAP, YSRCP and TRS are also likely to support her. Votes from other parties in opposition may come. The Congress seems to have been taken aback after the announcement of Murmu’s candidature. It is for the first time that the grand old party has not named its candidate and instead supported Yashwant Sinha at the recommendation of TMC. Sinha was made opposition’s candidate, but all the parties of this bloc are not united in support of Sinha. The Congress is passing through turbulent times, with several electoral defeats and ED questioning of Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case haunting it. To make matters worse, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is in trouble. The government led by Uddhav Thackeray is on the verge of collapse like what happened in MP. The development will end up with BJP forming the government with the support of Shiv Sena rebels, following which the votes for Murmu will increase. It will be a setback for the Congress which has its governments only in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It is in the ruling alliance in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The Congress has also a challenge to keep its flock together in Maharashtra. Jharkhand may see the same situation sooner or later. The first impact of the Presidential poll may be seen in Jharkhand where all is not well between JMM and Congress. The differences between the two parties came to the fore during the Rajya Sabha polls. CM Hemant Soren is already facing a probe. Now, JMM and tribal MLAs of other alliance partners will be under moral pressure to support Droupadi Murmu. JMM is likely to take a final call on it in the next couple of days. This will widen differences between JMM and Congress. Tribal legislators may also turn rebels, with BJP set to capitalize on such a situation. Now the focus is also on the poll-bound states where Congress is in direct fight with BJP. Gujarat is going to polls this year, while elections will be held next year in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. All these states have a sizable presence of tribal voters. Of all 90 Assembly seats around 32 constituencies are significantly under tribal dominance in Chhattisgarh. It will be a challenging task for Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to maintain a good rapport with tribals. Congress’ main concern in Rajasthan is to woo tribal voters.
Some tribal leaders had sought tickets during the Rajya Sabha polls as well. Similarly, Congress will see some tussle in MP too. Congress is keen to win these states to tide over the current existential crisis but PM Modi’s political move has made the task difficult for it.
Congress is dependent only on CMs for helping it in electoral battles. Central leadership is not in a position to change the situation much. State electoral defeats have weakened the party. Now, the Enforcement Directorate has also added to Congress’ trouble.