New Delhi: The Center on Wednesday provided ‘Z+’ security of CRPF commandos to NDA’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu. Officials gave this information.
‘Z Plus’ security cover is the second highest level of security provided by the Central Government.
The BJP-led NDA on Tuesday evening announced Draupadi Murmu as its presidential candidate. Meanwhile, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha was chosen as the joint opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
Born in the Santhal community, Draupadi Murmu began her political career as a councilor in Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat in 1997 and became the governor of Jharkhand in 2015 after becoming a minister in the Odisha government in 2000.
Draupadi Murmu, a two-time former MLA from Rairangpur, grabbed her assembly seat in 2009 after the BJD broke ties with the BJP a few weeks before the state elections, which was defeated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Draupadi Murmu also holds the distinction of becoming the first woman governor of Jharkhand.
Why Draupadi Murmu is BJP’s trump card?
This could be a long term political plan for the BJP. It may also get short-term political gains from Prime Minister Modi’s bastion Gujarat in the assembly elections due later this year. According to the 2011 census, Gujarat has more than 14% tribal population. Districts like Dang in Gujarat are dominated by tribal communities.
The move could positively have huge electoral ramifications for the BJP in the Northeast as well, where the tribal population is very high. As of 2011 India census, the total tribal population of India was 8.6%. But the tally is much higher in some states than in others. Scheduled Tribes constitute 11.3% of the total population in rural areas and 2.8% in urban areas.
India’s total tribal population: 8.6%
Mizoram: 94.4%
Nagaland: 86.5%
Meghalaya: 86.1%
Arunachal: 68.8%
Manipur: 35.1%
Sikkim: 33.8%
Tripura: 31.8%
Chhattisgarh: 30.6%
Jharkhand: 26.2%
Odisha: 22.8%
Madhya Pradesh: 21.1%
Gujarat: 14.8%
Rajasthan: 13.5%
J&K: 11.9%
States like Chhattisgarh, where the BJP lost its grip in the last assembly elections, can gain some ground from this decision. Opposing a tribal presidential candidate could also hurt the Bhupesh Baghel-led ruling Congress government, as Chhattisgarh has more than 30% tribal population as per the 2011 census.
first published:June 22, 2022, 7:46 am
