Droupadi Murmu elected as the 15th President of India

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Draupadi Murmu has been elected as the 15th President of India, becoming the first tribal woman to hold the top constitutional post in the world's largest democracy.

Important facts

• She will take oath as the 15th President of India on July 25, after the term of her predecessor Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24.

• Murmu, 64, is the first tribal community woman to become president and the second woman after Pratibha Patil to be appointed to the country's top constitutional post.

• She is the youngest President of India as well.

• Ms Murmu got 64 per cent of the vote and opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha got 36 per cent of the vote.

• She got 6,76,803 votes in comparison to his rival Yashwant Sinha's 3,80,177 votes.

Who is Droupadi Murmu?

Early life

• She was born in 1958 in Pahardpur village of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha.

• She was born in the Santhal community.

• She was educated at Unit II High School and Rama Devi College (now University) in Bhubaneswar.

• She served as a Junior Assistant in the State Irrigation and Power Department from 1979 to 1983.

• Then she worked as a teacher at Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre at Rairangpur till 1997.

Political Life

• In 1997, she was elected to Rairangpur Corporation and became the Vice-Chairman of the civic body.

• In the year 2000, Ms. Murmu won her first assembly election.

• She first time became Minister for Transport and Commerce and then for Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.

• In 2015, Ms Murmu was appointed as the Governor of Jharkhand.

• When there was a BJP government in Jharkhand, the Raghubar Das-led government brought in two Bills to amend the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act, 1908, and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, 1949.

• These amendments, allowing the transition of land use from agricultural to commercial purposes in tribal areas, created a major ruckus among tribal groups and civil society.

• These Acts were brought for land rights for tribal communities and rights over natural resources.

• When the government changed in Jharkhand in 2019, Soren and Ms. Murmu formed a good working relationship.

About Santhal community

• The Santhal community is one of the most politically active and prominent tribal communities.

• The Santhals are among the major tribes including the Gonds, Mundas, Hos, Oraons, Bhils, Meenas, Khonds and Nagas, who also dominate the tribal landscape in the country.

• In the Santhal Rebellion of 1857, under the leadership of the Kanhu Murmu brothers, the Santhals were at the forefront of providing leadership to the Jharkhand movement against colonial rule.

• Notable among the Santhals in political life is Shibu Soren, father of the current Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren.

• Kindly see 23 June 2022 post also