Prez polls: Dharmendra Pradhan celebrates with folk artists as Droupadi Murmu leads race

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the nation is going to create history as the daughter of a tribal family will be elected as the next president.

With Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA's candidate Droupadi Murmu leading in the presidential race against opposition's Yashwant Sinha after bagging 72.19 per cent of votes in the first round of counting, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan was snapped celebrating with folk artists in Delhi.

A short video shared by news agency ANI showed folk artists playing drums and performing a tribal dance. Some women can be seen clad in the traditional tribal attire, and the minister along with other individuals celebrate with them.

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Pradhan said that there is “no doubt in mind” that the nation is “going to create history” as the daughter of a tribal family from a “very ordinary house in Odisha” will be elected as the next president.

He added there is “immense joy” in the deprived section of the society, tribals, women and eastern India because for the “first time the true meaning of democracy is coming to the fore”.

“A leader from such a background will reach the nation's highest post. It's an achievement for democracy,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Earlier today, another video showed massive celebrations in Odisha's Rairangpur village, which is the native place of Murmu. People dressed in traditional outfit were seen performing a dance and also beating drums.

After the counting of MPs' votes in the first round of presidential polls, Murmu has opened up a significant lead over Sinha. The second round of counting will constitute the states' votes.

The results of the first round of counting were announced by PC Mody, secretary general of Rajya Sabha. Murmu won as many as 540 votes with a value of 378,000, while Sinha bagged 208 with a value of 145,600. A total of 15 votes were found invalid, Mody added.

Murmu is expected to win the presidential polls, given the large number of MPs the BJP and its allies enjoy. Besides, many prominent opposition parties such as Jharkand's JMM and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra had earlier announced to back the NDA candidate for India's highest constitutional post.

If elected, Murmu will be the first tribal and only the second woman president of India. Pratibha Patel was the first female president of the country, who served between 2007 and 2012.