JOIN USSupport NDA President pick Droupadi Murmu: Shiv Sena MPs to Uddhav Thackeray
Even as it battles one of the worst-ever rebellions, the Shiv Sena may back the BJP-led NDA’s nominee Droupadi Murmu.
At a meeting presided over by Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, majority of the MPs and senior leaders felt that the party must support Murmu against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Though a final call has not yet been taken, Thackeray is expected to announce his decision in the next couple of days.
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The move seems to serve double purpose by preventing a split in the Shiv Sena parliamentary party and trying some kind of a rapprochement with ally-turned-rival BJP.
The Shiv Sena has 22 MPs - 19 in Lok Sabha (18 from Maharashtra and 1 from Dadra and Nagar Haveli) and 3 in Rajya Sabha.
During the meeting, at least five MPs were absent - including Dr Shrikant Shinde, the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Bhavana Gawali, who was removed as party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha.
Since the split of the legislature party in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, several MPs too are in touch with Shinde.
“A meeting was held today in which various issues were discussed, of course, the Presidential polls were discussed. The names of Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha were discussed,” Shiv Sena chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.
According to him, Thackeray would announce his decision in two to three days. “Whatever Thackeray says would be binding on all of us,” he said.
A large number of lawmakers have called for support to Murmu, with she being the first from the tribal community.
“She is an NDA candidate but Droupadi Murmu belongs to the tribal community and is a woman. We should give her our support - this was the demand by all MPs (of the party). Uddhav ji told us that he will tell us his decision in a day or two,” said Mumbai North West MP and veteran leader Gajanan Kirtikar.
On the other hand, only a few of them were of the opinion to go to the polls as Maha Vikas Aghadi and support Sinha.
Raut, who is the leader of Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party, also pointed out that in the past Shiv Sena took a stand on Presidential polls despite being in alliance with the BJP. “We had supported T N Seshan, Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee,” Raut said.
When asked that he has opposed the candidature of Murmu, he said: “…These are rumours. Whatever Uddhav ji says is the final decision.”
Kiritikar said three MPs - Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Mandlik and Hemant Patil - could not make it for the meeting but would support the decision of the party.
In 1997, the Shiv Sena had supported late T N Seshan, who unsuccessfully contested against late K R Narayanan.
While being within the NDA coalition, the Shiv Sena broke ranks with the BJP and had supported Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee - the two Congress-UPA nominees for successive Presidential polls, in 2007 and 2012, respectively.
The Shiv Sena supported Patil as she hailed from Maharashtra while Mukherjee for his merit.
Patil had defeated Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, a BJP veteran and three-time Rajasthan chief minister, while Mukherjee defeated P A Sangma, a former Lok Sabha speaker.