Droupadi Murmu is an Indian politician who became the country’s 15th and incumbent President on July 25, 2022. At her swearing-in ceremony, she addressed the dignitaries in attendance, offering her perspective on Indian democracy, the contributions of tribal groups in India, and their importance.
According to the President of India’s youtube channel, she stated, “It is the power of our democracy that a daughter born in a poor house, a daughter born in a remote tribal area, can reach the highest constitutional post of India.” Murmu also quoted about the contribution of tribal communities during the freedom struggle. “From Santhal revolution, Paika revolution to Kol revolution and Bhil revolution, the tribal contribution in the freedom struggle was further strengthened. We were inspired by the sacrifice of ‘Dharti Aaba’ Lord Birsa Munda ji for social upliftment and patriotism,” said President Murmu.
- She belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is the first person from India’s tribal communities to be President.
- Murmu is just the second woman to serve as President of India, following Pratibha Patil.
- She is the country’s youngest president, the firstborn after India’s independence, and the first from Odisha to acquire this position.
- Before her presidency, she performed duties as the 9th Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021, and she held several ministries in the Government of Odisha’s cabinet from 2000 to 2004.
Personal life
- Droupadi Murmu was born on June 20, 1958, in the Baidaposi village of Rairangpur, Odisha, to a Santhali family.
- Her father and grandparents were the local council’s traditional leaders.
- Murmu graduated from Rama Devi Women’s College with a degree in arts.
- She wedded a banker and had two boys and a daughter with him.
- She lost her husband, two sons, her mother, and her brother between 2009 and 2015.
- The 64-year-old adheres to the spiritual movement of the Brahma Kumaris.
Initial Phase
- Murmu worked as a junior assistant in the irrigation division of the government of Odisha from 1979 to 1983.
- She later became a teacher at the Sri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre in Rairangpur, where she taught Hindi, Maths, Geography, and Odia.
Political career
- Droupadi Murmu began his political career in Rairangpur, where he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She was elected to the Rairangpur Nagar Panchayat council in 1997.
- She was elected to the Odisha Legislative Assembly from the Rairangpur Assembly seat in 2000 and served two terms in the legislature between 2000 and 2009.
- She served as the Minister of State with Independent Charge for transportation and commerce from 2000 to 2002, and for Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002, to 2004, under the BJP-BJD coalition administration in Odisha.
- Unfortunately, she missed the Lok Sabha election from the Mayurbhanj Lok Sabha constituency in 2009, when the BJD-BJP alliance had dissolved.
Jharkhand’s Governor
- Murmu was sworn in as Jharkhand’s Governor on May 18, 2015, becoming the state’s first female governor.
- The BJP was in control of the Jharkhand government during the majority of her six-year term as governor, as well as in the central government.
- Ratan Tirkey, a former BJP leader and activist, claimed that Murmu had not done enough to ensure that tribal groups’ self-governance rights were adequately enforced.
- These powers were awarded by the 5th Schedule of the Indian constitution and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act of 1996, often known as PESA. “Despite many pleas, the previous governor never employed her authority to execute the Fifth Schedule provisions and Pesa in letter and spirit,” Tirkey stated.
- Her six-year term as governor started in May 2015 and ended in July 2021.
Presidential Candidate
- The BJP nominated BJPDroupadi Murmu in June 2022 as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) contestant for the presidency of India in the following month’s election.
- The opposition parties nominated Yashwant Sinha as their candidate for President.
- She travelled to many states throughout her election campaign to solicit support for her candidacy.
- Several opposition parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Shiv Sena (SS), indicated their support for her candidacy ahead of the election.
- On July 21, 2022, Murmu won the 2022 Presidential election with a substantial majority, beating the opponent Yashwant Sinha with 676,803 electoral votes in 21 of the 28 states (including the union territory of Puducherry) to become India’s 15th President.
