Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday declared that going beyond politics, his Shiv Sena faction would support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential elections. Stating that there was no pressure on him, Uddhav acknowledged that this was the first occasion where a tribal woman is getting the opportunity to become the country’s President.
“Nobody pressured me in the meeting of Sena MPs”, Thackeray said, referring to the meeting of Sena MPs held at his residence in Mumbai a day earlier. Uddhav also said that going by the present political atmosphere, “I should not have backed her. But we are not narrow-minded”.
He also recalled how the Shiv Sena, being an NDA ally, had supported Congress-led UPA’s Presidential nominees Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in 2007 and 2012, respectively. Even at that time, the Shiv Sena had thought beyond politics and did what was good for the country, he said.
“I am clarifying my stand. Tribal leaders of my party told me that this is the first time that a woman from the tribal community is getting the chance to become the President. Respecting their views, we have decided to back Droupadi Murmmu’s candidature,” Uddhav added.
He said several Shiv Sena leaders, especially from the tribal community like MLC Aamshya Padvi, former MLA Nirmala Gavit, and Eklavya Sanghtana’s Shivajirao Dhavalet, had urged him to back Droupadi Murmu. The Sena chief said he got representations from Nomadic Tribes and Scheduled Tribes communities to back Murmu.
Meanwhile, Sena MP Sanjay Raut, however, said that this does not mean they are supporting the BJP. “Shiv Sena has decided to support Murmu for the presidential election but this does not mean we are supporting BJP,” Raut said on Tuesday.
The presidential elections are scheduled to be held on July 18, and there is no whip for the presidential elections and MPs can vote as per their will.
The Shiv Sena has 19 MPs in Lok Sabha, including 18 from Maharashtra. It has three MPs in Rajya Sabha. On the home turf of Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena is left with 15 MLAs, after 40 legislators sided with the Eknath Shinde faction.
A delegation of Shiv Sena is likely to meet Murmu to convey the party’s support to her, a party functionary said. Polls to elect the next president will be held on July 18. The race for the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be between Murmu and Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
‘Unfathomable’, Says Congress
The Congress, meanwhile, said the decision of the Shiv Sena to support Murmu was “unfathomable”. Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, in a statement, said, “The Shiv Sena is a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi, but it has not discussed its decision with us. It is unfathomable why the party is supporting Murmu when its government (in Maharashtra) was brought down in a non-democratic way.”
Thorat, however, acknowledged that the Sena was a separate political entity with the right to take a stand. “But, in this ideological battle, undemocratic ways were used to bring down a functional government and Sena’s existence was also threatened,” he said.
In an apparent reply to Uddhav’s reason for supporting Murmu, Thorat said, “The election for the President’s post is an ideological battle. The struggle is for preserving and protecting democratic values. It has nothing to do with women and men or tribals and non-tribals. Those who are in support of the Constitution are standing behind Yashwant Sinha.” Thorat said the “real causes behind it (supporting Murmu) may be known to its (Sena) leadership only”.
(With PTI inputs)
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