India gets its first tribal woman president in Droupadi Murmu
Droupadi Murmu has been elected as 15th President of India. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate won majority of votes in the polls, winning the race to Raisina Hill. After three rounds of counting, Murmu received 2,161 votes with value of 5,77,777. Yashwant Sinha, the opposition candidate, got 1,058 votes having value of 2,61,062. Counting is underway, but Murmu has crossed the halfway mark.
Why does this story matter?
Murmu, the 64-year-old ex-Jharkhand Governor, contested against the joint Opposition candidate, former Union minister Sinha. She had been leading in the race from early on as the BJP-led NDA had the support of the required number of MPs and MLAs and the backing of several smaller parties. Murmu is the first tribal woman to become the President of India.
17 MPs cross-voted in favor of Murmu: Reports
A total of 3,219 votes of 8,38,839 in value were counted in three rounds on Thursday. The counting of votes commenced at 11 am. Murmu received almost double the number of votes as Sinha. As per reports, 17 MPs cross-voted in favor of Murmu. Boxes from all state legislative assemblies reached the Parliament on Tuesday evening and were guarded by round-the-clock security.
Sinha congratulates Murmu
Crowds gather outside BJP headquarters in Delhi
Murmu crossed the 50% mark to become the next President, succeeding the incumbent Ram Nath Kovind. The BJP is celebrating her victory through grand processions in all states and an elaborate roadshow in Delhi. PM Narendra Modi will be visiting Murmu at her temporary residence in Teen Murti Marg. Large crowds gathered outside the BJP headquarters as results were announced.
44 parties supported Murmu, 34 backed Sinha
Voting for the presidential polls took place on July 18 in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies. Altogether, 44 parties had declared their support for Murmu, and 34 had backed Sinha. However, many opposition legislators cross-voted in favor of the NDA candidate. Congress leaders from Haryana and Odisha, NCP MLA from Gujarat, and an SP MLA from Uttar Pradesh confessed to cross-voting for Murmu.
Celebrations outside Murmu's Delhi residence
President is elected by an electoral college
The President of India is chosen by an electoral college comprising elected members of both Houses of Parliament, representatives of state legislatures, and the union territories of Delhi and Puducherry. According to the current estimates, the electoral college consists of 776 Members of Parliament (543 Lok Sabha MPs and 233 Rajya Sabha MPs) and 4,809 members of the state legislative assemblies.
