New Delhi: A day after many Shiv Sena MPs urged Uddhav Thackeray to extend support to NDA presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu, instead of the Opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha, the party on Tuesday (July 12, 2022) indicated that it will back her. However, the party clarified that it does not mean it was supporting the BJP. 


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Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut, in an interview with The Indian Express, said, “The Shiv Sena does what it thinks is right. In the past also we have extended support to Congress nominee T N Seshan and UPA nominees like Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee. The Sena has the tradition of going beyond politics. We believe in backing people in the national interest.”


He said that the Shiv Sena party chiefs do not take any decisions under any pressure. Shiv Sena spokesperson also informed that the party is likely to make a decision in this regard will be announced soon by party chief Uddhav Thackeray. “Today or tomorrow, you can expect the decision,” he said.


While clarifying his party’s stand, Raul said, “Droupadi Murmu is the first tribal woman likely to be the President of India. There is a lot of tribal population in Maharashtra. There are a lot of Shiv Sainiks who come from tribal areas. There are MLAs too…The decision of supporting Draupadi Murmu doesn’t mean we are supporting the BJP.”


Earlier, on Monday, in a meeting called by Uddhav Thackeray at his residence Matoshree in Mumbai, sixteen MPs of Shiv Sena urged Uddhav Thackeray to support Draupadi Murmu. While talking to media, Shiv Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar had said that all sixteen MPs agreed that Droupadi Murmu “is a tribal woman and that’s why they should vote for her”. 


It may be noted that the party has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha. The presidential elections will be held on July 18.