India elects Droupadi Murmu as president, its first from a tribal community

The lawmaker from Narendra Modi’s BJP will also be the country’s second-ever woman to hold the largely ceremonial position

Supporters see Murmu’s win as a breakthrough moment for her community, which generally lacks healthcare and education facilities in remote villages

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Thursday after she was elected as the country’s first president from the tribal community. Photo: India’s Press Information Bureau via Reuters

Published: 5:00am, 22 Jul 2022Updated: 5:51am, 22 Jul 2022

A woman who hails from a minority ethnic community was chosen on Thursday as India’s new president, a largely ceremonial position.

Droupadi Murmu, a leader from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was elected by the Indian Parliament and state legislatures in voting held on Monday, making her the first president from one of the country’s tribes and the second-ever woman to hold the position.

She will be formally sworn in as the president on Monday.

Murmu, 64, who hails from the eastern state of Orissa and was governor of Jharkhand state from 2015-2021, is a member of the Santal ethnic minority, one of India’s largest tribal groups. She started out as a schoolteacher before entering politics and has been a two-time lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party.

Performers dance on Thursday to celebrate the election of Droupadi Murmu as India’s first president from the tribal community. Photo: Reuters

Murmu’s father and her grandfather were village headmen in Baidaposi in Mayurbhanj district in Orissa.