National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Droupadi Murmu came out on top in the race for the post of President of India on Thursday, becoming the first person from a tribal community, and the second woman ever, to reach the office. Murmu defeated joint opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha by a huge margin.
Murmu, former Governor of Jharkhand, trounced challenger and Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, securing 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled. The 64-year-old will be administered the Presidential oath of office by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana at a ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament on July 25.
She will also be the first president of the country to be born in Independent India and the youngest to occupy the top post. She is also the second woman to become the president. Murmu is the first tribal to get elected to the highest office in the country.
Murmu won by an overwhelming margin against Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes in a day-long counting of ballots, to succeed Ram Nath Kovid.
After the end of the counting process that continued for more than 10 hours, returning officer P.C. Mody declared Murmu as the winner and said she got 6,76,803 votes against Sinha’s 3,80,177.
President Ram Nath Kovind greeted his successor. “Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Smt. Droupadi Murmu on being elected as the 15th President of India,” he said in a Twitter post.
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said, “Heartiest congratulations to Smt Droupadi Murmu ji on being elected as the 15th President of India! Her wide experience in public life, spirit of selfless service and deep understanding of people’s issues will greatly benefit the nation. My best wishes for a successful tenure.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who along with BJP president J P Nadda called on Murmu at her residence around the time she crossed the halfway mark during the counting of votes, said on Twitter, “India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President! Congratulations to Smt, Droupadi Murmu Ji on this feat.”
“Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji’s life, her early struggles, her rich service and her exemplary success motivates each and every Indian. She has emerged as a ray of hope for our citizens, especially the poor, marginalised and the downtrodden. Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji has been an outstanding MLA and Minister. She had an excellent tenure as Jharkhand Governor. I am certain she will be an outstanding President who will lead from the front and strengthen India’s development journey,” BJP president Nadda said, “The response was much more than the expectation with which her candidature was announced. It means our thought process was right and the people accepted it.” Modi said.
Murmu bagged 2824 of the total 4701 valid votes while Sinha managed 1877 votes. Of the 4754 votes, 53 votes were invalid. In terms of vote value, the NDA candidate logged 676803 of the total 1072377 and Sinha 380177. She secured 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled. According to BJP leaders, she got more than expected votes — additional 17 votes from Parliament and 104 from states.
Her election was expected to be a smooth one, but the way some of the opposition parties broke ranks to support her exposed the division in their ranks. Sinha congratulated her and highlighted that the election had united the opposition, and he was able to raise their collective concerns through his campaign.
Murmu’s candidature is a strong message from the BJP to the country’s 10 crore strong tribal community. Soon after counting began and she inched towards the halfway mark, celebrations began in her native town of Rairangpur congratulating “Odisha’s daughter”, with folk artists and tribal dancers performing on the streets. Murmu belongs to one of the largest tribal groups in the country, the Santhals.
Murmu’s inspirational story—pursuing higher studies despite all odds, marrying according to her choice, her stoicism despite grave personal tragedies, and following the party norms, and finally her role as rule book governor—is likely to come in handy as she occupies the highest office.
Now, with a tribal and a farmer (Jagdeep Dhankhar, if elected as vice president) occupying the top constitutional posts in the country, it will be Modi’s message for the 2024 elections. With over 10 crore population, tribal votes hold sway in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. They have sizeable presence in states like Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Northeastern states, which have already fallen in BJP’s kitty, are tribal dominated societies too with their own intrinsic culture.
