n a major setback to Opposition presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha, BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday pledged support to NDA-backed candidate Droupadi Murmu. “We’ve decided to support NDA’s Presidential election candidate Droupadi Murmu. We’ve taken this decision neither in support of BJP or NDA nor against opposition but keeping our party and movement in mind,” said Mayawati. This development comes a day after Murmu filed her nomination papers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union cabinet ministers and Chief Ministers of all NDA ruled states.

With non-NDA partners BJD and YSR Congress already supporting Murmu, Mayawati’s announcement will mean that Murmu has enough numbers to get elected as India’s first tribal President and only the second woman to sit on the chair after Patibha Patil. Already controlling 48% of the electoral college, the NDA has enough support from the non-NDA faction to see that Murmu gets well past the 50 per cent benchmark, required to be elected as President.