Rivals YSRCP, TDP agree on supporting NDA’s Droupadi Murmu

Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate for the post of President of India met on Tuesday with legislators of YSRCP and TDP, separately, in Amaravati, seeking their support in next week’s election.

The ruling YSRCP, which has 31 MPs and 151 MLAs had already declared its support for Murmu. Last month, the party’s leader in Parliament Vijayasai Reddy attended Murmu’s nomination filing process in New Delhi. Chief Jaganmohan Reddy has maintained cordial relations with the BJP at the Centre.

Murmu, who found support from unexpected quarters such as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, also gained the backing of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) just ahead of her visit to Andhra Pradesh.

Recalling that the TDP had earlier endorsed the candidatures of K R Narayanan (a Dalit) and A P J Abdul Kalam (a Muslim) for President of India, TDP president Chandrababu Naidu announced his support for “the tribal woman leader for the top post in the country.”

The former chief minister stated that supporting Murmu is “following the TDP's commitment for social justice going beyond political considerations.”

Political observers, however, see Naidu’s decision as one more overture to get back into the NDA fold. The TDP-BJP relations severed after Naidu walked out of the alliance in March 2018.

“The TDP takes pride (in) extending support to a great tribal leader like Murmu, and (is) fortunate to have her here. Murmu, who is set to become the “First Citizen,” is an inspiration to the downtrodden sections,” Naidu said at a meeting, where he introduced Murmu to his MPs and MLAs.

The TDP has four MPs and 23 MLAs, even though a few of his MLAs have unofficially sided with the YSRCP.

Earlier, chief minister and YSRCP supremo Jaganmohan Reddy received Murmu at his camp office in Tadepalli, where she was blessed by the Vedic priests of Vijayawada’s famous Durga Malleswara Swamy Devasthanam.

Reddy later introduced the party’s electoral college to Murmu at a convention centre. “Our support for Murmu ji falls in line with YSRCP's stand prioritizing SC, ST, BC, and minorities (in the constitutional positions),” Reddy said.

In her meetings with the YSRCP and TDP, Murmu was accompanied by Union minister Kishan Reddy.