Ranchi: Dishing out a major setback to the UPA and the Congress party in particular the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Thursday announced its support to NDA’s Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu. A letter in favour of support has been issued by JMM supremo and Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren.
As per the letter, all the MLAs and MPs of the party have been directed to vote in favour of Draupadi Murmu. “In the President’s poll former Jharkhand Governor and Tribal Woman Draupadi Murmu is the candidate.
For the first time after Independence, any tribal woman is going to get the honour to become the President therefore after considering all aspects the party has decided to vote in favour of Draupadi Murmu, “ the letter said adding that all the MLAs and MPs of the party will vote in favour of Draupadi Murmu.
Inside the Jharkhand Assembly, the JMM has 30 MLAs while it has one Lok Sabha MP in form of Vijay Hansda and one Rajya Sabha MP Dr Mahua Majhi. The decision of the JMM has come as the shock for the Congress as the two are alliance partners in the Mahagathbandhan government of Jharkhand.
The Congress was hopeful that JMM which has been at loggerheads with the BJP on numerous issues would support joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha who too has Jharkhand connections and had served as an MP from the Hazaribagh constituency of the state.
Draupadi Murmu visited Jharkhand on July 4 during which after interacting with the NDA MLAs and MPs she met JMM supremo Shibu Soren and Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his residence and sought support for her candidature.
Also in an earlier meeting called over the polls by the party, the majority of the MLAs voiced their support in favour of Draupadi Murmu keeping into account the tribal connection. Draupadi Murmu hails from Santhal Tribe from which the Soren family also comes.
Moreover, the two daughters-in-law of Shibu Soren including Sita Soren who is an MLA from Jama seat of Jharkhand Assembly and Kalpana Soren who is the wife of Chief Minister Hemant Soren also hail from Mayurbhanj district of Odisha from where Draupadi Murmu also belongs. Daughter of Shibu Soren Anjali Soren in also married in Mayurbhanj.
During her stint as Governor of Jharkhand, many of her works were appreciated by the JMM which was at that time in Opposition. When her stint ended Chief Minister Hemant Soren held a dinner in her honour and had also gone all the way to the airport with her wife to see her off while she was returning to her native place in Odisha.