Murmu's Kolkata visit cancelled due to national mourning for Shinzo Abe

NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu's scheduled visit to Kolkata on Saturday to meet BJP lawmakers from West Bengal has been cancelled in the wake of the one-day national mourning, as a mark of respect to ex-Japanese premier Shinzo Abe.

Murmu has been visiting various states to seek support from the lawmakers for the July 18 presidential polls.

"As a mark of respect to former Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, one-day national mourning shall be observed on July 9. Therefore, all programs of NDA Presidential Candidate Draupadi Murmu stand cancelled for July 9, 2022," the Bengal BJP said in a statement.

Abe, 67, the longest-serving prime minister of Japan, was assassinated earlier in the day in the west Japanese town of Nara while he was campaigning for his party.

A senior BJP leader said Murmu will be in New Delhi on Saturday.

“Murmu’s visit to Kolkata will be rescheduled later," he said.

She was scheduled to meet BJP MPs and MLAs at a hotel in New Town area of Kolkata on Saturday afternoon.