Clearing air over BJD’s stand on the upcoming Presidential election, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday appealed to all members of Odisha Legislative Assembly to extend unanimous support to elect the daughter of Odisha – Draupadi Murmu to the country’s highest office.
In a tweet, Patnaik wrote, “Appeal all the members of Odisha Legislative Assembly, cutting across party lines, to extend unanimous support to elect the daughter of Odisha - Smt #DraupadiMurmu to the country’s highest office.”
On Tuesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda announced Draupadi Murmu from Odisha as NDA's Presidential candidate for the upcoming election. The BJP parliamentary board discussed 20 names for the presidential nominee and finally, it was decided to pick someone from east India, a tribal and a woman.
The NDA’s presidential nominee Draupadi Murmu has been accorded a Z+ security cover of CRPF commandos.
The announcement of Murmu’s name for the top post had sparked speculations in Odisha after CM Naveen tweeted welcoming the decision by BJP-led NDA. It was speculated that the CM had prior knowledge about the selection of Draupadi Murmu as BJP-led NDA’s Presidential nominee.
“I was delighted when Hon’ble PM @narendramodi ji discussed this with me. It is indeed a proud moment for people of #Odisha,” Naveen had tweeted on Tuesday.