Presidential elections: Droupadi Murmu's chances are better, says Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 2 (ANI): Ahead of the presidential election, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate Droupadi Murmu's chances of winning the election are better because of developments in Maharashtra.
"Now we know Droupadi Murmu's chances are better because of developments in Maharashtra. We'll go by what opposition parties say," Banerjee said.
Chief Minister further said that the opposition could have considered her name if the BJP had discussed it with them before announcing it.
"BJP didn't discuss with us before announcing their candidate for Presidential elections. They should've taken our suggestions...then we could've considered," she added.
The political crisis in Maharashtra was created by a revolt in Shiv Sena led by Shinde who stayed in Guwahati with other MLAs supporting him. Uddhav Thackeray resigned on Wednesday.
Eknath Shinde, who led a revolt against Shiv Sena leading to the collapse of the 31-month-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday evening.
He was administered an oath by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.
The Eknath Shinde's government in Maharashtra will face a Vote of Confidence on July 4, to prove its majority in the State Assembly.
The Special Session of the Maharashtra Assembly will be held on July 3 and 4.
Earlier on Friday, Shiromani Akali Dal, which has been an ally of the BJP announced that it will support NDA candidate Droupadi Murmu in the presidential elections.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA had declared Droupadi Murmu as the presidential candidate on June 21.
The presidential candidate nominated by the BJP-led NDA filed her nomination papers at the Parliament Library Building in the national capital on June 24.
Draupadi Murmu, the first woman tribal leader to file her nomination for the top constitutional post of the country, is a seasoned politician from Odisha coupled with an extensive background in the field of academics reflects that she will uplift the tribal sections of the country.
Droupadi Murmu, who was declared BJP-led NDA's presidential candidate, is a former Governor of Jharkhand and a former Odisha minister.
She will face opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha in the presidential contest on July 18. If elected, she will be the first tribal President of India and the country's second female President.
The elections for the President of India will take place on July 18 and the results will be out on July 21. The term of present Rashtrapati Ram Nath Kovind concludes on July 24. (ANI)