The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has picked former Jharkhand governor Draupadi Murmu as its candidate for Indian president.
She will face former Indian Union Minister Yashwant Sinha, who was selected as the joint opposition candidate in the upcoming election, the ANI reported.
"Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Tuesday night.
"Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji. Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country."
Murmu was born in the Santhal community of Odisha’s Baidaposi village on June 20, 1958. Santhal (also known as Satar) community also lives in the eastern Nepal in Jhapa and Morang districts.
Prior to her entry into politics, she taught children as a school teacher and worked as a junior assistant in the irrigation and power department for four years till 1983.
Murmu was elected twice as an MLA in Odisha on a BJP ticket from the Rairangpur constituency in 2000 and 2004, according to India Today. In 2002, she was appointed as the Commerce and Transport Minister in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet. In 2004, Murmu was appointed as the Fisheries and Animal Development Minister in Naveen Pattnaik’s second term as chief minister.
The BJP government picked Murmu as the governor of Jharkhand in 2015. She holds the record for becoming the first female governor in Jharkhand. She is also the first governor to complete the five-year term.
