Is Jharkhand Governor the next incumbent of Rashtrapati Bhavan?

Even as a range of names are being bandied around as the NDA Government’s nominee for the next President, there are two things observers seem to be certain about. One, the nominee will be a dark horse; Two, none of the figures who have found any mention in the media would make the cut, given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for springing surprises.

That would normally rule out, among others, the RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and also LK Advani. But then these are not ‘normal’ times.

The NDA’s announcement of its candidate, pointed out a veteran Parliamentarian, would also depend on whether the Government seeks a consensus and if the Opposition would respond.

Yet another pebble was thrown into the water by news portal Khabarstreet.com which maintained that the ‘dark horse’ in the race was the Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu, an Adivasi former minister from Odisha who was the Government’s surprise choice as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand in 2015.

While the very fact that her name has figured in the media may well rule her out, knowledgeable circles hold that she could indeed be a nominee to reckon with.

Factors being cited in Murmu’s favour

• The choice of an Adivasi woman to occupy the Rashtrapati Bhavan would be a powerful message that the PM may like to send out. It has the added advantage of ensuring that the Opposition may not have enough reasons to object to her nomination.

• Her nomination would make sense also because the RSS has been working among tribals for the past many decades and it would strengthen the ‘cultural organisation’ and by extension the BJP in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, the North-East and in the tribal belts in other states including Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

• It might boost the BJP in Odisha, where elections are due in 2019. While her position as Governor in the neighbouring state may not be as useful, the first Oriya installed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan could be useful in the assembly election.

• Like Pratibha Patil, she could be trusted to be a pliant President. The Prime Minister may not like a seasoned politician like Advani or Sushma Swaraj to be the next President. Murmu fits the bill as a non-controversial and pliable ceremonial head of state.

• While NDA circles are agog with speculation that LK Advani has been promised the coveted constitutional post as ‘Guru Dakshina’, an astute observer in Lutyen’s Delhi does not rule out Modi springing the name of Murmu to checkmate the Guru. “Even Mr Advani may find it difficult to denounce the choice,” he agreed and added with a chuckle, “Advani would not like to be remembered as a villain”.