Draupadi Murmu is India’s first female tribal president and second female president.
A woman from a marginalized tribal community was elected India’s president on Thursday (July 21) with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party after a vote in parliament.
Draupadi Murmu, who belongs to the Santhal tribe, received the support of more than half of the parliamentarians, according to the partial results released by the electoral commission. At 64, she becomes the first female president of a tribe and the second female president of India. Draupadi Murmu, from the east Indian state of Odisha, has been nominated as a candidate for the largely ceremonial post by Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Guardian of the Constitution”
Narendra Modi congratulated Draupadi Murmu in a tweet, stressing that “his exemplary success motivates every Indian”. “It has become a beacon of hope for our citizens, especially the poor, marginalized and oppressed,” he added.
Draupadi Murmu’s main opponent, Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP member and former finance and foreign minister who has been backed by the opposition parties, also congratulated the new president. India hopes that it will “act as guardian of the constitution without fear or favoritism,” he wrote.
Read alsoIn India, Christians are threatened by Hindus
Draupadi Murmu will become India’s second female president after Pratibha Patil, who has served for five years since 2007. She succeeds Ram Nath Kovind, the country’s second president from the lowest Dalit community in the caste system, also known as “the untouchables”. Born in the district of Mayurbhanj in the state of Odisha, she started her professional life as a primary school teacher before taking up political office.
“tribal rights”
She has held ministerial posts in the government of that state and served as governor of the neighboring state of Jharkhand. “As a woman from a tribal community in the remote Mayurbhanj district, I did not expect to be the candidate for the post,” she told reporters after her nomination by the BJP.
The election of Draupadi Murmu was taken for granted due to the dominance of the BJP and its allies in parliament and state legislatures. Since this position is primarily ceremonial in nature, his election should not result in major changes for tribal communities that have long been marginalized in society.
“We’ve been fighting for tribal rights since the 1990s,” activist Dayamani Barla told AFP. “The only way she’ll be able to do anything is if she’s allowed to use her pen,” he added.
Read alsoIn India, Narendra Modi’s aura is clouded by the Covid-19 crisis
India’s prime minister holds executive power, but the president can return some bills from parliament for reconsideration. The President also plays a role in the process of forming a government.
SEE ALSO – Sri Lanka: Ranil Wickremesinghe elected President by Parliament