Who is Draupadi Murmu? Everything you should know about BJP Presidential candidate
New Delhi: Draupadi Murmu was on Tuesday nominated as the Presidential candidate of the ruling NDA. She will be pitted against former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha who was nominated as the candidate of opposition earlier in the day.
Murmu is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a tribal leader from Odisha. She was the first woman Governor of Jharkhand. The 64-year-old Murmu will also become the first tribal woman to hold the office of the President of India.
Elections to choose the next President will be held on July 18, the counting on July 21. The new President will take oath on July 25, the Election Commission has said.
Murmu was also a contender for the post and was a forerunner in the build-up to the Presidential polls in 2017 but the BJP had given its nod to then Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, who happened to be a Dalit.
The first woman Governor of Jharkhand, Draupadi Murmu started her political career as a councilor.
A two-time BJP legislator from Odisha, Murmu was a minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet when the Biju Janata Dal or BJD ruled the state with the support of the BJP.
She also headed the BJP's Mayurbhanj district unit in Odisha and represented Rairangpur in the Odisha assembly.
Murmu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rama Devi Women's College, Bhubaneswar. Before she joined politics in 1997, she worked as an honorary assistant professor in the Shri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research, Rairangpur, and as a junior assistant in the irrigation department of Odisha.
Her political journey began in 1997 when she was elected councilor in the Rairangpur district in Odisha. The same year she went on to become the Vice-Chairperson of Rairangpur. Just three years later, she was elected from the same constituency of Rairangpur to the state assembly.
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Adityanath govt has completely failed to maintain Taj Mahal, alleges Akhilesh
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday raised questions over maintenance of the Taj Mahal in Agra and attacked the Yogi Adityanath government saying it should be a "living and active" example, not just a "monument".
Yadav, who shared a viral video in which a plant could be seen sprouting from the dome of the Taj Mahal, said the monument might develop cracks due to the roots.
In a post on X, he said, "The BJP government and its dormant departments have completely failed to maintain the Taj Mahal, the wonder that attracts tourists from all over the world."
Yadav went on to say, "There is a possibility of rusting of the metal of the urn on the main dome. Water is dripping from the main dome. There is news of plants growing in the dome. If the roots of trees like these grow, then the Taj Mahal may crack."
He also highlighted problems of monkey menace and water logging in the Taj Mahal complex.
"The Taj Mahal complex has become a sanctuary for monkeys. There is a problem of waterlogging in the Taj Mahal complex. The tourists are worried whether they should admire the Taj Mahal or deal with the problems," Yadav said, adding due to all these reasons, the country's image is tarnished at the global level.
Last week, the main dome of the Taj witnessed water seepage due to incessant rains but officials said there was no damage to the arched roof.
Yadav asked where crores of rupees of funds that come for the maintenance of Taj Mahal are going.
"The government should be a living and active example, not just a monument," he added.
