E-Paper
Droupadi Murmu, first citizen
Nominated by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Murmu, 64, received 64.03% votes in the presidential electoral college, which comprises parliamentarians and state legislators.
Droupadi Murmu was elected India’s 15th president in an impressive victory on Thursday, marking an extraordinary journey for the country’s first tribal commander-in-chief from the verdant hills of Rairangpur in Odisha to the exalted gates of Raisina Hill in the Capital.
Nominated by the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Murmu, 64, received 64.03% votes in the presidential electoral college, which comprises parliamentarians and state legislators. Her rival, Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, received 1,877 or 35.97% votes, according to data from the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
Apart from NDA constituents, Murmu — a former governor of Jharkhand — also managed to breach the Opposition ranks by securing the support of parties such as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Bahujan Samaj Party. In all, 2,824 MPs and state legislators voted in favour of her.
“India scripts history,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter. “A daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President!”
Murmu, who secured the support of 44 parties, also got votes from opposition MPs and MLAs, some of whom cross voted while others broke ranks to announce support for the candidate beforehand. According to BJP functionaries, she received support from 17 MPs and 126 MLAs outside the NDA. Among the states with the maximum amount of cross voting were Assam (22) and Madhya Pradesh (19). Of the total votes polled, 53 votes were declared invalid.
“Droupadi Murmu polled 104 votes compared to NDA’s original strength of 79 in the 126 member Assam Assembly. 2 absent. My heartfelt gratitude to the people of Assam for reposing their faith in the NDA’s presidential candidate & wholeheartedly joining this historic moment,” tweeted Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The election for the next president was held on July 18. Counting of votes began at 11am at Parliament House, and from the first round, Murmu established an unassailable lead. Shortly before 8pm, Rajya Sabha secretary general PC Mody announced that Murmu had crossed the halfway mark.
“Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Smt. Droupadi Murmu on being elected as the 15th President of India,” President Ram Nath Kovind said in a tweet.
As it became clear that the tribal leader was on her way to becoming the first occupant from her community in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda drove to her residence to congratulate her.
“People have given a better response to her candidature than what our expectations were… Our thought process (in nominating her) proved correct and it was appreciated by the electorate,” Nadda said.
Murmu will be the first President to be born after Independence and is the youngest to occupy the top post. She is also the second woman to become the President. She will be sworn in on Monday in a ceremony at Parliament’s Central Hall, where the Chief Justice of India will administer her the oath of office.
As news of her victory spread, India’s tribal heartland erupted in celebrations. In the village of Uparbeda, where Murmu was born in 1958, local residents distributed sweets and prayed to local deities. “Though celebrations have not stopped since she was named candidate last month, today is nothing less than a festival for us as a daughter of my village will become President. My husband and other menfolk went to Jahar Era. Which tribal woman will not feel proud today,” said Savita Hembram, the village chief.
In Delhi, too, the BJP took out an ‘Abhinandan Yatra’ from is Delhi unit office at 14, Pant Marg, with scores of men and women from the party marching to Rajpath, with some chanting slogans and raising placards bearing images of Murmu and the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“The selfless manner with which she dedicated herself to the service of the country and society while facing such struggles, is inspirational for everyone,” Union home minister Amit Shah said.
Her victory is an endorsement for the BJP, which managed to trounce a coalition of opposition parties that came together to pick a nominee to the highest constitutional office in the land. By nominating Murmu, a member of the Santhal tribe who overcame economic and social hardships and staggering personal tragedies to rise to a gubernatorial position, the BJP had thrown a challenge at its opponents that proved hard to combat.
After nominating a Dalit leader to Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2017 — a move that saw the BJP make major inroads into the scheduled caste communities — the BJP now is looking to establish itself in the eastern reaches of the country and among the 100 million tribespeople that hold sway in states such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, all states that go to the polls in the next two years.
Sinha, a former BJP leader and Union finance minister who in recent years positioned himself as the bête noir of his old party, proved no match for Murmu. The significance and optics of supporting a woman whose rise in the echelons of power was dotted by determination and diligence was a strong pull for not just friendly parties such as the Biju Janata Dal and the YSR Congress but also others such as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
Opposition politicians congratulated Murmu, who spent years teaching in a school in a tribal-dominated district of Odisha before contesting her first assembly election in 2000, and becoming a minister of state the same year. She was picked as the governor of Jharkhand in 2015.
“I hope — indeed, every Indian hopes — that as the 15th President of India she functions as the Custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour. I join my fellow countrymen in extending best wishes to her,” said Sinha in a letter. He thanked the leaders of the Opposition parties for choosing him as their consensus candidate in this election.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi congratulated Murmu, saying, “Congratulations and best wishes to Smt. Droupadi Murmu ji on being elected as the 15th President of India.”
Congratulating Murmu, Trinamool Congress president and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I would like to congratulate Hon’ble Presidential-Elect Smt Draupadi Murmu. The country will sincerely look up to you as the Head of State to protect the ideals of our Constitution & be the custodian of our democracy, especially when (the) nation is plagued with so many dissensions.”
Murmu’s win gives the BJP a chance to reinforce its credentials as an inclusive, politically expedient outfit that has its ear to the ground. “Her nomination and victory reflect the Indianised thought process. Earlier, the Padma Awardees were personal physicians of leaders, now bare-feet people with real achievements can enter the Rashtrapati Bhavan to collect their awards...,” said a senior party leader who asked not to be named.
The fact that she is the first adivasi woman to become president may also see tribal support for the NDA grow. As per the 2011 Census, scheduled tribes (ST) make up for 8.6% of the total population.
BJP leaders who have interacted with Murmu said her simplicity and doggedness in pursuing her work proved to be her ladder to success and is now an example to emulate.
“She has a plain, simple approach and is committed to the cause. She gave it her best and did not go to anyone (for favours), gave it a 110%, did not brag or seek validation and faced every challenge including personal problems with determination,” said the senior BJP leader quoted above.
