The Shiv Sena will support the National Democratic Alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu, party chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday.
Thackeray said that if Murmu wins the elections, India will get its first adivasi woman president, PTI reported.
“Nobody pressured me in the meeting of Sena MPs,” Thackeray added.
Former Maharashtra CM was referring to a meeting of Shiv Sena MPs at his Mumbai house on Monday during which 16 of them had asked him extend his support to NDA candidate.
Thackeray said he took the decision to support Murmu to respect the views of adivasi leaders in the Shiv Sena, PTI reported.
He said that MLC Aamshya Padvi, former MLA Nirmala Gavit and Eklavya Sanghtana’s Shivajirao Dhavale had urged him to back Murmu.
“Actually, going by the present political atmosphere, I should not have backed her because she is a candidate of the BJP,” he added. “But we are not narrow-minded.”
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had said that “supporting Murmu does not mean supporting the BJP”, NDTV reported. He had said the party had goodwill towards the Opposition’s candidate.
“The Opposition should remain alive,” Raut had added.
