NDA's presidential candidate Murmu to visit Chhattisgarh tomorrow

The National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu will visit Raipur on Friday to seek support of MPs and MLAs from the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh.

Murmu will arrive at the Swami Vivekananda Airport here around 9 am, a state BJP leader said.

She will meet MLAs and MPs at a hotel in the city, he added.

In the 90-member state Assembly, the Congress has 71 MLAs and the BJP has 14, while Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have three and two members, respectively.

Of the 11 Lok Sabha MPs from the state, nine are from BJP and two are from Congress. Congress has four Rajya Sabha members and BJP one from the state.

BJP's senior tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai said Pratibha Patil was the first woman president of India, while Murmu would become the first woman from the Scheduled Tribes community to hold the highest post.

He appealed to the lawmakers of the tribal-dominated state to support Murmu's candidature.

Tribals account for 32 per cent of Chhattisgarh's population.

JCC (J) MLA Dharmjeet Singh said his party has already extended support to Murmu, and the three MLAs of the party including him will meet her on Friday.

Besides, two BSP MLAs will also meet Murmu, he added.

Congress leader Rajesh Tiwari claimed that the BJP picked a tribal candidate -- Murmu -- only to divert attention from its ''anti-tribal policies'' and the ''attempts to sell off forest lands to private entities.'' The elevation of a person does not benefit his or her entire community, Tiwari added.